My Little Pony: The Elements of Discord
by Blackbird
Summary: For every yin there is a yang.  Every coin has two sides.  For every Element of Harmony there is always an Element of Discord
1. Prelude to the Dark

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

**The Elements of Discord**

**Chapter 1: Prelude to the Dark**

It was a bright, sunny day in Ponyville. The Pegasus ponies were doing an excellent job at keeping the clouds away so that everypony could enjoy the warm sun and feel the need to get out and do something. A fact not lost on Twilight Sparkle who had decided to hold off on her studies for the day and see what her friends were up to. Of course even then she was sure she was bound to learn something. She always seemed to when she was around them anyway. At the very least it might make for an interesting report to Princess Celestia. But that could wait for later, right now she was actually more interested in just having fun.

Unfortunately, those plans were put on hold when she noticed a large crowd of ponies gathering in the town square. Try as she might, she just couldn't help but be overcome with curiosity and so she slowly made her way over to the crowd. She was a bit surprised, but delighted to see that her friends were there as well and she slowly made her way through the crowd towards them.

"Hey girls, what's going on?" she asked.

"Something right peculiar," Applejack informed her.

Twilight looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"_That_ guy!" Rainbow Dash spoke up, pointing a hoof at whatever it was.

Twilight finally turned her attention towards the object the rest of the crowd seemed so fascinated by and saw pony several feet away from them repeatedly stamping his right hoof on the ground. She studied him carefully, trying to remember if she had seen him before. He had a charcoal colored coat and his mane and tail were a bright blonde color. His Cutie Mark seemed to be an eye with five stars surrounding it. As she continued to study him, she realized that his tapping wasn't just random and actually seemed to be some sort of four tone rhythm. She wasn't sure if it was a song or not but there did seemed to be something almost...hypnotic about it. Aside from that though she really couldn't see what the big deal was. He was just standing there tapping and staring up at the sky. Yet everyone was making a big deal about it. This led her to only one conclusion:

She was still confused.

"Sooo...why's everyone staring at him again?" she asked.

"Because he just came into the middle of town and started up that dreadful tapping for no reason," Rarity informed her.

"So? Pinkie breaks out into songs all the time," Twilight remarked.

"I do?" Pinkie Pie screeched in horror before she calmed down and smiled brightly. "Oh yeah, I do! It's fun! You guys should join me sometime!"

"Not gonna happen," Rainbow Dash shook her head then looked at Twilight again. "But the weird part isn't that he started doing that. It's that he's been doing for twenty minutes."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Okay, _that_ is a bit unusual but it's not really worth a bit crowd like this, is it?"

"It is when he's muttering all sorts of weird things under his breath," Applejack spoke up.

"What kind of weird things?"

"Awful things! Horrible things! I bet he's putting a curse in all us right now!" Pinkie Pie shouted, flailing about dramatically. "Why I bet tomorrow we could wake up tomorrow with no heads!"

Despite Pinkie's reputation for over exaggeration, this announcement caused some of the more skittish ponies in the crowd to gasp and jump back in horror. Mostly notably, of course, Fluttershy who quickly ducked down and covered her head with her hooves as she trembled a bit.

"I don't want to loose my head," she said in her usual whisper like tone.

Twilight rolled her eyes with a sigh. "No one's losing their heads Fluttershy," she comforted her.

"They're not?" the Pegasus asked hopefully, lifting her head a bit.

"No, they're not," the purple unicorn repeated as she looked over at Pinkie Pie. "And this is exactly the kind of thing that happened when Zecora first came around. You remember how she ended up _not_ being a witch and cursing people, right?"

Pinkie's face scrunched up and she placed a hoof on her chin as she seemed to be thinking back to the event. Eventually a bright smile crossed her face and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh yeah! That was fun!" she said but her expression quickly darkened again as she moved closer to Twilight. "But this guy's _much_ scarier and weirder than her! I tell ya, he's cursing us all right now!"

Twilight let out a frustrated groan before she turned to address the crowd as a whole.

"Have any of you actually tried _talking_ to him?" she asked.

A round of embarrassed and shameful looks washed over the crowd at this statement as they all fidgeted nervously.

"Well..." Applejack started, rubbing her right off over her left one.

"That is to say..." Rarity also mumbled.

"Ya see..." Rainbow Dash tried to come up with an appropriate answer.

"Um..." Fluttershy squeaked.

"Is rock candy rocks or candy?" Pinkie Pie asked, completely oblivious to the situation.

"Fine, _I'll_ do it," Twilight muttered with another shake of her head before she turned and stared over to him. She stopped in only a few seconds then looked back over her shoulder at her friends. "Does anyone know what his name is?"

"Ah think it's Star Gazer," Applejack offered.

"Right," she nodded then continued over to him cautiously. "Um, hello? Mr. Star Gazer? We were all wondering what you're doing out here."

"Can't you hear them?" he asked cryptically as he continued to tap his hoof and stare up at the sky.

Twilight's ears twitched a bit as she looked up at the sky as well. "Hear what?"

"The drums. The endless drums. I've been hearing them for awhile now. Always drumming. Drumming. Drumming," he seemingly rambled, his tapping getting faster and more intense. "Always coming closer."

_Now _Twilight was beginning to see why no one approached him. In fact she found herself slowly inching away from him even as she asked her next question.

"Um...drums? What...drums?"

"The endless drumming over _war_," he revealed, his eyes narrowing. "Growing closer and closer each day."

"Well. That's...um...something...interesting," she pandered, trying to sound interested and upbeat while she continued to back away. "Well it certainly seems you're busy listening to those drums so I'll just...be over there now."

"Beware Twilight Sparkle," Star Gazer warned, finally stopping his tapping and turning his head towards her.

Of course the use of her name caught her attention and stopped her dead in her tracks.

"I'm sorry, have we met before?" she asked, a strange prickling sensation in the back of her neck.

"_She_ is coming back!" was all he offered before he looked back up at the sky and resumed his tapping.

Now more confused than ever, and just a little freaked out, Twilight's slow steps turned into a full blown sprint as she made her way back over to the crowd, and more importantly her friends.

"So what did he say?" Rarity asked anxiously.

"He cursed you, didn't he? DIDN'T HE?" Pinkie screamed, shoving her face into her friend's.

Twilight reeled back a bit from the close encounter before she slowly shook her head and looked back over her shoulder at Star Gazer again.

"I'm...not really sure what he said," she confessed.

"Maybe it's for the best that we forget about and go about our day," Applejack suggested. "I could use some help on the farm ya'll are interested."

"Actually Fluttershy and I are _horribly_ late for our weekly spa treatments," Rarity said as she helped the timid Pegasus up and they started to walk off. "Oh I do hope they keep our spots open. And really Fluttershy I wish you'd try the full body kelp wrap, it's quite invigorating."

"I don't know," Fluttershy said unsurely. "I don't like the idea of being confined like that."

"Oh you'll have nothing to worry, I promise. And it'll do _wonders_ for your coat. It'll help bring out it's natural shine."

"Is there something wrong with my coat?" the pink haired pony asked, taking a look at herself.

"No, no nothing wrong per say but it could look fabulous with the right treatment," Rarity assured her.

"I don't know..."

The conversation continued to go back and fourth as the two walked away.

"Well that will keep _them_ busy for most of the afternoon," Applejack noted then turned to the rest of her friends. "So how about you three? You want to help?"

"Sure I'll help," Rainbow Dash offered, then smirked deviously. "In fact, I bet I could knock down more apples than _you_ can today."

"Oh you are _on_ hombre!" the Earth pony declared before the two of them ran off towards the apple orchard.

"Hey wait for me!" Pinkie Pie called out as she bounced along behind them.

Following the four's lead, the other ponies in the crowd slowly started to disperse and after a few short minutes Twilight was left all alone. Well alone in the fact that she was the only one who stayed behind to watch Star Gazer a little while longer. Soon enough even she started to walk away but not without shooting him a few confused and worried glances. What was he talking about? Who was "she"? And why couldn't she shake this nagging sensation that something very, _very_ bad was about to happen very, _very_ soon?

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Deep within the Everfree Forest took the decayed remains of a castle who's original purpose was lost to the annals of time. It stood now as a foreboding place that seemed to personify all that was wrong and twisted about the forest itself. As if it was the forest's dark heart, slowly beating and breathing unnatural, evil life not every twisted tree and vine that chocked the ground. And deep within the castle's depths stood something else long forgotten.

A lone unicorn statue stood in the middle of a dark room tucked away in the corner of the lowest level of the castle. Although it appeared just as old as the castle itself, it was still flawless and in immaculate shape. In fact, it seemed even the vines and mold respected it's beauty and grew around it but not _on_ it. Perhaps it wasn't respect though, but fear. Fear that this unnatural statue was more than just a piece of art and that the slightest touch might awaken something quite dark.

Those fears would be baseless though, as something quite dark was already awake from within the statue. In fact, it had been awake for a very, very long time.

_It's so quiet in the darkness. How long have I been here? A year? A century? Longer? How long do they think this spell can hold me? Not long enough. I've felt it growing weaker and weaker with each passing...whatever. But as _it_ grows weaker, _I_ grow stronger. My powers are returning, slowly but surely. If I concentrate maybe I can..._

The silence of the darkness went undisturbed as it had for a thousand years. But then...a small flicker a occurred. It would have been barely noticeable to anypony who was around but it was still there. Faint and quick. But still there. And _had _anypony been around they might have noticed just a small chip fall off the tip of the statue's horn. A chip and a crack that followed in it's wake. A little crack, certainly nothing that should have been that damaging to the statue as a whole. But even the littlest things can lead to big problems.

_It's working! I can feel it! Soon I'll be free! Then I can _finally_ help my Empresses once again! I can hear her calling out to me. She needs my help. She _demands_ my help! I'm coming for you Empresses! Soon I'll be free of this pathetic spell and then I'll come to free you and help you take your rightful place as ruler of Equestria!_

The crack continued to travel down the horn and spread over the rest of the statue at an incredible pace. Soon the once flawless piece of granite was covered in cracks as chips started to rain down onto the gobble stone floor below. It's eyes burst open in a flash of purple, revealing two dark, real eyes beneath it's rocky exterior.

_I. Will. Be._

"FREE!" a dominating scream pierced the dark corridors of the castle as the remaining pieces of granite exploded off the pony's body.

A burst of energy the formally incase unicorn stood completely revealed. She had a deep, midnight blue coat offset by a long, silver mane and matching tail. Her eyes were a dark purple and filled with hatred and contempt for not only the ponies who had imprisoned her originally, but for any one foolish enough to try to put her back. Her Cutie Mark, if it could so be called that, was a storm cloud that was as black as the heart that beat within her chest. She took a few deep breaths so that she could get reacquainted with it after all this time and walked unsurely forwards, stumbling not only from the darkness but from the lack movement.

Those things didn't matter though. They were mere trivialities. The important thing was that after all that time she was _finally-_

"Free!" she shouted again joyfully. "Free to show those arrogant ponies who they _true_ ruler of this land should be! I hope whatever day this is, it is a sunny one. For all too soon Dark Sky will fall upon them all!"

She reared her head back and laughed manically, the beginnings of her plan already starting to weave their way through her magnificently malicious brain. And woe be it to anypony who _dared_ to try and stop her.

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Notes: **I _honestly_ never thought I'd see the day when I started writing My Little Pony fanfiction. Really I didn't see that coming at all! But dammit if the new show isn't just that damn good that it got into my head and made want to write _something_ for it. Course the origin of this story is actually a bit more complex than that.

First of all you can all blame my friend Zearth for brow beating me until I finally looked up all the eps on YouTube and watched them. That's what got me hooked on the show. Well that and like I said above it's just _really_ good. But what got _this_ story in particular started was a vanity license plate of all things. As I was going out to get some food one night I saw a plate that read "Dark Sky" and thought that would just make a great villain name. I immediately thought it would make a great evil pony name, but I tried to push that aside as I already have _way_ too many fics to go through already without adding another one.

But then I made the mistake of telling Zearth about it and he agreed it'd make a good evil pony name and before I knew it we were plotting out a pretty big story that would actually bring the ponies back to their magical girl parody roots from the pilot ep. At first I tried to pass it off as just talk and sharing ideas as we are wont to do, but then my muse got a hold of the idea and played out the two scenes above in my head. Again I tried to ignore her, but once my muse gets a hold of an idea she likes she _screams_ at me to get it done and won't even try to work with me on anything else.

So if nothing more than to just get it out of my head I had to write this chapter. I know it's not a very long one but it's honestly not meant to be. It's set up a teaser chapter for the much bigger story to come. Think of it was the pre-credits seen on the show. Course I'm _still_ working out the details on everything so I'm not quite sure how often I'll be updating. A lot of the pieces are there I just gotta make them fit and find the missing ones. So it might take awhile.

Though I can say right now I won't get into the main body of this thing without finishing my Teen Titans fic first and that should be done soon hopefully. Then I'll try to work more on these one while also doing what I can in the other four universes I'm writing fics in.

Oy. I _really_ need to just gag my muse as some point so I can get some peace and quite. Or at least just focus on one thing at a time. But for now I hope you'll all enjoy my slow slip into insanity.

BTW, who here guessed what I homaging with the Star Gazer scene? Should be easy I made it pretty damn blatant. But it was still fun to do.

All right. See you next time guys. Whenever that will be.


	2. The Gathering Storm

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

**The Elements of Discord**

**Chapter 2: The Gathering Storm**

Deep within the Everfree Forest, the forgotten unicorn Dark Sky walked through the ruined, moss covered hallways of the once great and majestic castle of the royal pony sisters. She remembered a time when the castle stood tall and proud and filled with ponies paying homage to the caretakers of the sun and the moon.

But that was in the past. At the moment she had much more important things on her mind. Like how long had she been petrified? What became of her Empress? And what was this strange feeling drawing her deeper into the castle? Her horn shined as it drove her toward the very...familiar presence. Eventually she found herself in one of the higher towers of the castle. Like the rest of it, the room was dilapidated and mostly in ruins but _unlike_ the rest of the castle it held faint traces of life. As if some ponies had been in there recently.

But there was something else. Traces of powerful magic that only increased that strange sense of familiarity. It then hit her as to _why_ it felt so familiar when she found discarded pieces of armor laying on a raise circular platform at the other end of the room.

"No," she whispered in horror as she ran over to the platform and looked at the bits of armor. "What happened here?"

She took a second to breath and calm herself before she closed her eyes and started to chant softly.

"Peel back the pages of time and reveal the past unto me!"

Her horn started to glow as she initiated her spell and her eyes flashed when she snapped them open. Before her, ghostly images of the recent past began to play out before her. The first thing she saw was a black, winged unicorn wearing the very same armor that lay broken before her in the present.

"Nightmare Moon!" she cried out happily. "She _did _escape! I knew it! But what happened to her?"

She glanced down and saw four spherical rocks at Nightmare Moon's hooves, each with a depiction of a gem carved into it.

"The Elements of Harmony!" she sneered. "No wonder. But who was using them this time?"

The answer to her question came soon enough as five ponies she had never seen before walked into the room to help out a purple unicorn who had tired in vain to battle Nightmare Moon and use the Elements herself. A satisfied smile crossed Dark Sky's face as she watched the dark pony smash the Elements before her. Her enjoyment was short lived, however, when the fragments of the Elements started to swirl around the six ponies.

"W-what is this?" she gasped in amazement. "They're _still_ using the Elements?" She watched the illusion before her closer. "No. No they're not _using_ the Elements, they _are_ they Elements? These six ponies are the Elements of Harmony! But...how?"

She watched in horror as a rainbow shot out from the six glowing ponies and shattered Nightmare Moon's armor, returning her to the smaller form of Princess Luna. It was then that Dark Sky closed her eyes and shook her head to break the spell. She didn't want to see anymore. She had seen everything she needed to see. And yet...she still needed to _know_ more.

"If the Elements of Harmony bonded with those ponies, then what become of the other Elements?" she wondered as she rubbed her chin with her left hoof.

With a sense of determination, she galloped into the deepest recesses of the old castle to a room she hoped was still there. She stopped and let out a sigh of relief when she came upon a chamber that many decades ago, held several magical items and tomes. She pushed on what was left of the wooden door then jumped back in fright as it fell off it's rusted hinges and slammed to the floor, crumbling slightly. She rolled her purple eyes at her own foolishness the stepped over the rotted door and into the dust and weed covered room in search of six very important items.

She tossed a few sparks from her horn onto the thankfully still usable torches along the walls to light the darkened room. A twisted smile spread across her muzzle when she saw six spherical rocks nearly identical to the Elements of Harmony lined up in a circle around an ancient alter. Just like before her enjoyment was short lived when she saw they all had a crack in them, splitting their own gem images in half.

"No! No this can't be!" she shouted in frustration then leaned forward to try to detect some magical residue with her horn. "Nothing! They're completely empty! Just useless rocks!"

She let out a frustrated howl then kicked the stone closest to her with her right leg. An action she immediately regretted when she felt a jolt of pain run through her hoof.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" she cried as she tried to shake the pain away. "I don't _believe_ this! How could they just-" she stopped herself when she remembered what she had seen in the illusion. "But if the Elements of Harmony bonded with _those_ ponies than may be the Elements of Discord did the same thing with other ponies. I have to consult the tome about this."

She crossed the room to where she last remembered keeping a tome given to her by a much darker pony than either her or Nightmare Moon. One that had explain the counterbalance between the Elements of Harmony and the Elements of Discord. A conflict as old as the universe itself according to the malevolent benefactor. Though at the time she didn't care about that. She just wanted to know how to use the Elements of Discord for her own nefarious needs. But if there was another facet to both sets of Elements she over looked, then surely the tome would say something about that. Unfortunately, her bad luck seemed to continue as when she reached the podium she has placed the tome on she found that it was...

"Gone!" she gasp. "Maybe it's in the library then."

Once again she raced through the castle to her new destination and once again met with failure as the entire Grand Library sat completely empty safe for the vines and insect.

"The whole place has been cleaned out!" she shouted indignantly.

She let out another angered scream and was about to kick one of the half rotted bookcases but stopped when she remembered what happened last time. Instead she used her unicorn telekinesis to lift it up and through it violently across the room. She then threw another one. And another. And another. She continued this action for several rage filled minutes until she finally wore out the majority of her anger.

"I can't believe this," she growled. "Untold years of being stuck as a statue and _this_ is what I have to wake up to? Oh somepony is going to pay _dearly_ for this! But first I have to find that tome."

She paced around the ruins of the library for a moment as she tried to come up with some kind of solution to her problem.

"Wait," she mused as she stopped. "If I remember correctly, there was some small village not far from here. Perhaps it might hold some answers to what happened to the tome. At the very least I can learn how long I was petrified and what's going on in Equestria now. And then..." she grinned wickedly, "oh then comes the _fun_ part."

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The Everfree Forest is not a place most ponies _chose_ to go. However, for one unfortunate unicorn, he felt he _had_ no choice but to go through there in an attempt to get away from the various life threatening antics of his so called "friends". The white pony frown deeply which perfectly matched his frowny face Cutie Mark as he wandered further into the twisted woods. He wasn't really sure how far he was going to go but he just knew he had to keep walking to get away from them. Once he was sure he was a safe distance away, _then_ he would figure out what exactly he was going to do.

He came to a dead spot and a chill went through his body when he heard an eerie laughter seeming to come from the trees themselves.

"W-who is that?" he asked in a deep voice.

The laughter only continued.

"Seriously, who is that?" he called out again. "If it's you guys I'm not in the mood for this right now! I just want to take a walk through the horribly twisted and scary forest all alone, all right?" He paused as he waited for an answer. "Guys?"

He whipped his head around in fear when he heard rustling in the bushes to his right, but quickly let out a sigh of relief when he saw a midnight blue unicorn approach him.

"Oh good. Sorry, I thought you were these two guys I know who are a little...insane," he explained himself.

The other unicorn merely tilted her head as she gave him a strange look. He stared back at her in confused silence.

"So...um...you from around here?" he asked to try to break the tension.

The next thing he knew, a blinding pain shot through his head as both the other unicorn's and his horn began to glow. He couldn't explain the feeling but it was like she was pulling out parts of his mind. It stopped after a few agonizing seconds and he stumbled backwards, nearly falling over.

"What was that?" he shouted in terror.

"Sorry, just needed to pick up the new language and taking it directly from your mind was the easiest way," she explain almost gleefully as she stepped closer to him.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Dark Sky," she introduced herself with a small bow. "You might say I've been... away for a long time. I need to get caught up with current events and you're going to help me big guy."

"I-I am?" he coward in fear.

"Yep," she smirked as her horn began to glow again. "And just to warn you this _will_ hurt. A lot."

An agonizing scream then echoed its way through the Everfree Forest with only one other pony around to hear it. To her, it was simply the most beautiful music in the world.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Shortly after her "information gathering", Dark Sky came upon the village she now knew was called "Ponyville". It was much larger then she remembered it but that was to be expected after a 1,000 years of being stuck as a statue. In addition to being larger, the town positively _reeked_ of good feelings and kindness. The kind of sugary sweetness that made her stomach turn. She wanted to take care of them all right now, but she had other plans she had to enact first. Plans that involved getting into the town's library unseen. If what she had pulled from that unicorn's mind was true, then Princess Celestia's latest protege was living there and so would make the perfect hiding place for the tome she was looking for. Who better to guard an ancient book than the Princess' own student? In a library no less. Where it could just be hiding among all the other books. But it couldn't be hidden from her. She would find it.

"It _will_ be mine again," Dark Sky mused to herself with a wicked smile. "Oh yes, it will be mine again."

The only problem with her plan was the problem she had been forced to deal with her whole life. She let out an irritated growl as she looked up and saw black clouds already starting to form over her. It wouldn't take long for the Pegasus ponies to figure out something was going wrong with the weather. Especially since they had created such a nice day. This would force Dark Sky to be creative. To find a good distraction before she made her way to the library. Surely, somewhere, in this town there were _some_ ponies that weren't dripping with sweetness that would be willing to help her out. She just had to find them.

Keeping to the edge of town for now, she lit up her horn with a spell to locate some ponies more inclined to her line of thinking. It took her a moment or so, but she finally picked up two auras that were a bit darker than the others. She thought she felt a few others too, but she couldn't be sure. They felt a bit...off. For the moment she decided to go with the ones she was sure about and turned left to follow the directions her horn was giving her.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Just outside Sweet Apple Acers, two brawny earth ponies watched the workers there harvesting the latest crop of apples in barely restrained contempt. One was dark purple in color with a crazy green mane that hung all around his face and had the Cutie Mark of a large hammer posed to strike. His companion was a light grey pony with a tightly cropped black mane and a pony powered sleigh on his flank. A myriad of emotions swirled through them as they looked down at the farm, most of them negative. Still there was a hint of wistfulness in the purple pony.

"You know Sledge, I kinda miss working down there," he confessed.

"Only because you miss ogling Applejack, Hammer," the other retorted.

"Well _yeah_! Have you _seen_ her?"

"I know_ you_ have. And if seeing her was all you did we'd still have jobs there. But _no_, you just _had_ to go and make those stupid comments about her. In earshot no less!" Sledge sighed and shook his head. "You're just lucky that Big Macintosh got to you before _she_ did."

"Eh, I could have taken him if I wanted to," Hammer grumbled but then smirked wickedly. "Least they didn't catch me skimming apples off the top."

Sledge's blue eyes widened at the comment before he glared at his friend.

"Which was working until _somepony_ caused so much of a scene that one of the other workers caught me putting apples in my own saddlebags!" he snapped.

"You sayin' _that_ was my fault too?" Hammer snapped back.

"What are you gonna do about it if I am?"

The two snorted at each other and started to stamp their right hoofs on the ground in preparation to charge each other but were stopped suddenly but a mysterious voice calling out to them.

"Boys, boys, boys," the feminine voice chided them. "Surely they must be better ways for you to get that lovely aggression out."

"Who's there?" Sledge demanded.

In response, a midnight blue unicorn with a silver mane slowly walked out from behind a patch of trees and made her way over to them with what seemed to be a trail of black clouds following her.

"My name is Dark Sky," she properly introduced herself. "And who might you gentlecolts be?"

"I'm Sledge," the grey pony said, holding a hoof up to himself then motion to his friend, "and this is Hammer."

"'Sledge and Hammer'?" the unicorn smirked. "I like it. So boys, what seems to be the problem here?"

"Eh, no problem, we're just miffed 'cause we got kick offa that farm down there," Hammer told her, pointing to Sweet Apple Acers.

"That farm?" Dark Sky asked as she took a step closer for inspection.

It looked like any other earth pony farm she had seen before. Oddly she found a strange sense of calm in knowing that _some_ things hadn't changed over the last thousand years. Still, if it was a way to get those two on her side, she'd just have to roll with it.

"So let me guess," she started as she spun back around to them. "They did something to offend you and you'd like to them pay, yes?"

"Oh yeah! Especially that Big Macintosh jerk! I'll show _him _who's better around here!" Hammer blurted out.

"Well, if you come with me, I can help you get your revenge on him and all the other ponies that mocked you," she offered.

"And why should we?" Sledge asked bluntly. "We could find our own ways to get back at them and not have to be indebted to you."

Dark Sky chuckled and shook her head to toss part of her mane out of her face as she gently walked over to Sledge.

"I can see you're the smart one of the two," she complimented.

"Hey!" Hammer protested.

"Now let me guess again," she continued, completely ignoring the other earth pony's squawk. "You're the kind of pony who wants something more out of life. Like say...wealth? Power maybe?"

"Maybe," Sledge replied calmly, keeping his face expressionless.

"Well then, my dear Sledge, if you do just a few teensy weensy favors for me, I can see to it that you get both those things and more. How do you like the sound of that?" she asked him as she gently scratched him under the chin with her right hoof.

Sledge tried to keep his calm demeanor up as long as he could, but his resolve quickly faded thanks to her tender touch.

"Fine," he sighed.

"Good!" Dark Sky cheered then dropped her hoof and started to walk off. "Then come along boys, we've got a library to visit."

"Huh?" Hammer mumbled in confusing, raise an eyebrow.

"It's a place where they keep books," Sledge corrected as they started to follow the unicorn.

"I know _that_! I just don't get why we're going there."

"I guess we'll find out soon enough."

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Down on the farm itself, Applejack let out a small sigh of exhaustion after she kicked another basket full of apples out of the tree behind her. She smiled proudly to herself as she looked over her catch. She made have learned that she can't do _all_ the applebucking by herself, but she could still take pride in the parts she could do. And it might not have been _too_ much of a stretch to say she was the best applebucker on the farm.

She was about to get back to the work she was so great at when a dark shadow passed over her. Frowning, she looked up at the sky and saw a storm cloud rolling in over the farm. She scowled as she looked around and found Rainbow Dash swatting away a few other black clouds that seemed to have appeared from no where.

"Hey Dash, what the hay is going on around here?" she called out. "I thought you weather Pegasuses...Pegasi...ponies were supposed to make it a sunny day today."

"We _are_!" Rainbow Dash returned as she shoved one arrant clouds away. "I don't know what's going on here! Someone must have messed up at the cloud factory."

"Well, could you please hurry up and clear the sky? I'd like to get this part of the field down before dinner."

"What do you think I'm doing?" the blue Pegasus returned as she placed her front hooves on her hips in annoyance.

She didn't have too much time to wait for an answer, however, when another cloud appeared and knocked her away. She spun out of control for a second, but quickly corrected her flight path and glared at the cloud.

"Why you..." she muttered before charged towards it.

Applejack shook her head at her friend's antics and was about to return to her work again when something else caught her eye. From across the field she could just make out the _last_ two ponies in Equestria she wanted to see right now; Sledge and Hammer. Course it didn't surprise her they were hanging around the farm, they always were the types to start up trouble. What _did_ surprise her was the fact that they seemed to be talking to some unicorn she had never seen before. The three seemed to discuss something for a few minutes before they all started to walk off.

"Now what in tarnation are those varmints up to?" she wondered allowed.

She was just about to gallop over there to follow them when the loud shrieking of her name caught her attention.

"Applejack look out!"

She turned around just in time to see Rainbow Dash falling towards her. The next thing she knew, the world was spinning and there was another pony tumbling along with her. Thankfully, the rolling didn't last too long and soon enough she was laying down face first in the field. Unfortunately, she also had a surprisingly heavy Pegasus laying on top of her in a heap.

"Wh-what just happened?" she asked, still a bit disorientated.

"Heh. Sorry about that AJ," Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously. "I went to clear one of the clouds away and when I got to it, it just kinda disappeared. Then I realized I couldn't stop and well..."

"I kinda figured the rest," Applejack muttered irritably. "Now will ya'll _please_ get offa me?"

"Oh, right, sorry again," the flying pony said quickly as she climb off her friend.

She then helped the earth pony stand and even helped dust her off a bit. Applejack ignored her for a second as she tried to find where Sledge, Hammer, and the weird unicorn were, but they were no where to be found.

"Dang, they're gone," she whispered.

"Who's gone?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

Applejack turned to her and was about to explain what she saw but stopped short when she caught a glimpse of what was on the Pegasus' head. Namely, her favorite hat.

"Ahem!" she remarked rather unsubtly as she glared at her friend's head.

"What?" Rainbow Dash returned obviously.

The earth pony tilted her head upwards a bit thought it seemed to do little to clear the confusion. After a few seconds of this, the winged pony finally looked up at her friend's head to notice that her almost trademark hat was missing. She then slowly reached up to her own head with a hoof and noticed the hat perched atop her multicolored mane.

"Oh!" she finally gasped in realization then chuckled nervously again. "Sorry."

Applejack just reached out to grab the brim of her hat with her teeth and yanked it off Rainbow Dash's head. She then threw her head back a bit to perfectly flip the hat back to where it rightfully belonged.

"Cool trick," Rainbow Dash complimented.

The blonde earth pony glared at her some more.

"Um...I'm gonna go see what's going on with the weather factory! See ya later!" she said hastily before she took off into the air once more.

Applejack shook her head with a sigh before she turned back once more to look at the spot the strange ponies once stood.

"Something dang weird is going on here that's for sure," she mused to herself and gently rubbed her chin with a hoof. "Maybe I should go talk to Twilight about it. She usually seems to know what's going on."

Her mind made up, Applejack hunched over so she could balance the two basket straps on her hindquarters and walked them over to the near by cart. After that she was going to inform her brother about what she saw and what she planned to do so that he could look after the rest of the harvest. She hated to bail on him like this, but she just couldn't shake this feeling that something bad was stirring up.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Back in the center of Ponyville, the town's ponies continued to go about their daily routine, seemingly oblivious to the danger that walked among them. In fact, the only thing that really caused a stir were the strange black clouds that kept appearing throughout the town. The Pegasus ponies were working overtime to clear them all out and to try to understand what was going wrong. Little did they all know that the source of the trouble was right in their midst.

Dark Sky hid between Sledge and Hammer as they walked as inconspicuously as they could down the side streets of Ponyville. Thankfully nopony seemed to have made the connection between the clouds and herself yet. Still, she didn't want to take any chances of somepony catching on. She singled for the other two to stop just as they were in sight of the library.

"All right, I need to get into that library undiscovered," she informed them. "So I need you two to create some kind of distraction while I sneak in and hopefully find what I'm looking for."

"What _are_ you looking for anyway?" Sledge questioned.

"You'll know when you _need_ to know!" she snapped. "Now just create a distraction."

"Distraction, eh?" Hammer mused as he looked over the crowd of ponies.

He looked over at the town square for some kind of inspiration for what he could do. As he glanced over the various stands and ponies, he spotted a familiar looking earth pony with a cream caramel colored coat and caramel brown hair. The spotting of a three blue horseshoes Cutie Mark told him that this was indeed the pony he thought it was.

"I have an idea!" he proclaimed excitedly just before he raced off.

Dark Sky stood in open mouth amazement at his sudden burst of energy while Sledge just shook his head with a sigh. Once she recovered, the unicorn looked up at the taller pony.

"Excitable one, isn't he?" she remarked.

"He's never been one to think things through," Sledge informed her.

"Well that _might_ work to our advantage. Still I'm going to need some time. Back him up and keep the commotion going as long as you can until you seen me slip back out of the library," she instructed.

"Right," he nodded before he ran off after his friend.

A few yards away, Hammer had already bumped into the pony in his sights and knocked him into a nearby cabbage cart.

"My cabbage!" the distraught own cried out then glared at the pony laying in the middle of it. "What's your probablem buddy?"

"_My_ problem!" he shot back angrily then pointed a hoof at Hammer. "It was _him_! He slammed into me for no reason!"

"_Me_?" Hammer gasped in mock surprise, holding a hoof to his chest dramatically. "Well I _never_ would have done anything like that!"

"Yes you did! I saw you do it!" another pony called out from the quickly gathering crowd.

"What's your problem, anyway?" the caramel colored pony asked as he picked himself up from the cart. He brushed himself off when he got a good look at the other earth pony. "Waitaminute, I know you! You're Hammer, right? Weren't you kicked off of Sweet Apple Acers for making rude remarks to Applejack?"

"Maybe I was. But if _I_ remember correctly, you're Caramel, right?" Hammer asked almost to eagerly.

"Yeah...what about that?" Caramel asked back, giving him a suspicious look.

"Well if the rumors _I_ heard where true, _I'm_ not the only one who got kicked off the farm for making remarks about members of the Apple family. Though from what I hear, you went after Big Mac."

A series of overly dramatic gasps came from the crowd at the revelation while Caramel himself looked quite shocked and annoyed.

"What? No!" he screamed angrily. "I _never_ did that! Who keeps spreading these rumors? I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that but that's just not me!"

"That's not what _I_ heard," Hammer teased him in a sing-song voice.

"Well, you heard _wrong_!"

"Actually I think he's right," Sledge spoke up as he stepped out of the crowd. " 'Course, I heard the Caramel who did that was a cute little mare." He looked the other earth pony over. "Somehow I don't think that was you. Unless of course there's something you're not telling everypony!"

Another gaps erupted from the crowd.

Caramel's face turned red as his cheeks flushed in anger. "That was my _cousin _Caramelle. She leaves out in Appleloosa."

"Or maybe you're trying to cover up the fact that you have a unicorn friend preform some kind of sick, twisted spell on you!" Sledge accused.

Yet another series of gasps was heard followed by one thud sound. Everypony looked to see a Pegasus laying unconscious on the ground. One of the nurse ponies quickly ran up to check on her.

"This pony is over gasped!" she stated.

"Hey, can unicorn magic really do that?" one of the earth ponies in the crowd asked a unicorn beside her.

The unicorn shrugged. "I guess. Not something I can do, but others could, I suppose."

"I don't even know any unicorns that can do that!" Caramel defended himself again.

"Oh don't you?" Hammer pressed, with a wicked grin.

"NO!"

As the commotion continued to build and attract more attention, Dark Sky carefully made her way towards the town's library. As she approached the door she glanced back over at the crowd the two had drawn with their wild accusations.

"They may not be the smartest ponies around but at least they're good for _something,_" she mused to herself.

She was so caught up in her own musing that she failed to notice the purple and green baby dragon standing in the middle of the room until he addressed her.

"Oh hello," he greeted in a friendly tone.

"Gah!" she jumped back in surprise.

"Oh sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he apologized even though he snickered a bit. "My name's Spike. You here to check out a book?"

"Actually, yeah," Dark Sky said once she recovered. "But I don't really want anyone to know I was here so..." her horn glowed softly just before she commanded him to, "Sleep! Sleep and forget you ever saw me."

"Getting...tired..." Spike mumbled drowsily as he swayed a bit.

Soon enough, he completely collapsed onto the floor and was fast asleep. The midnight blue unicorn smiled to herself in satisfaction but then quickly frowned when she looked up at the columns of books in front of her.

"This may take longer than I thought," she noted. "Though if _I_ were trying to hide an ancient tome of unspeakable power in a place like this, I'd probably start at the top where ponies are less likely to look. So..."

She used her telekinesis to pull the rolling ladder over to her and carefully climbed to the top where she started to levitate the books out of their rows to glance at their covers. Unfortunately, all of them seemed to be rather standard, and somewhat boring, looking books.

"No," she grumbled as she tossed another towards the floor below then moved onto the next one. "No. No. No. No, no, no! ARGH!" she cried out after trying a series of different books. "This isn't getting me anywhere. There was to be _something_ in this library that stands out!"

She moved the ladder to the next column and started with the first book there. It actually _did_ catch her eye but for another reason.

"'Everything You Wanted To Know About Slumber Parties But Where Afraid To Ask'?" she read the cover in disbelief. "Who in their right mind would need something like _this_?" She shook her head in disgust then let the book fall onto the ever growing pile on the floor.

The next book also caught her eye but because it looked decidedly...different than the others. It's cover looked tough and leathery as if it wasn't made from wood pulp at all but rather...skin. It also seemed to have a set of eyes and mouth on that were stitched shut. It was certainly like no book she had ever seen before. She stared at it for a few seconds in consideration.

"Maybe later," she noted before she slid the book back in place and continued her search.

It didn't seem to fair much better in the other stacks, however, and she was quickly beginning to lose her patience. She made it about half way through another row when she let out a frustrated scream and used her powers to knock the rest of them off the stack in a blind rage. She let out a few huffing breaths and was about to move on when she noticed something odd in the back of the bookcase. There was a portion of it where the color seemed...off somehow. And as she looked closer she could just barely make out some faded seems in the shape of a square. Acting on her suspicion, she gently knocked on the back of the case on the left side of the square with her hoof. It sounded solid. She did the same thing on the right side of the square and it too sounded solid. She then knocked on the center of the square itself and was rewarded with a hollow sound. A wicked smile of satisfaction crossed her face as her eyes glinted dangerously in the light.

"Gotcha!" she exclaimed before she use her telekinesis to rip the false front off it's hinges.

Inside was a rather thick, ancient looking book inscribed with a seal that had lost all meaning in the passage of time. Even she was never quite sure what it meant, but she knew it when she saw it. There was no mistaking it. _This_ was the book she was after.

"That was pretty clever. But not clever enough," she remarked as she pulled the book towards her.

She climbed down the ladder and moved towards the door when she stopped and thought of something.

"I don't want to have to levitate this thing all the way back to the castle and I'm certainly not going to trust either of _those_ two numbskulls to carry in their mouths without drooling on it. So I wonder...?"

She looked around for something she might be able to carry the tome in, but unfortunately found nothing that suited her purpose. Spotting a small flight of stairs, she walked up them to a personal living space in the upper floor of the library.

"Who would want to live in a library?" she wondered aloud as she looked at all the various trinkets and even more books scattered about.

During her search of the area, she spied a set of white saddle bags with a large purple star emblazoned on the front of them.

"Perfect!" she remarked then pulled them towards her.

She set the bags on her haunches then safely tucked the book away in the right side one before she left the library as quickly as she had entered, leaving only a sleeping baby dragon and a pile of discarded books in her wake. When she stepped outside she was a bit surprise to see that Sledge and Hammer had actually kept their humiliation of the other pony up and now the entire crowd seemed to be discussing all sorts of matters. She waved a hoof to get Sledge's attention then quickly levitated the book out of the saddle back and gave him a nod to let him know the mission was accomplished. He nodded back then turned to his loud mouth companion.

"All right I think we've proven our point well enough," he told Hammer. "I think it's time we leave this sad sack alone."

"I'm _not_ a sad sack!" Caramel defended himself once again, a small tear in the corner of his right eye but he couldn't tell if it was from sadness or anger.

"You just keep telling yourself that buddy. See ya around!" Hammer shouted then took off a quickly as he had arrived, Sledge following close behind him.

They caught up with Dark Sky, and soon enough all three of them where heading out of town and towards the Everfree Forest. When he realized that's where they were going though, Hammer suddenly stopped and skidded to a halt right on the very edge of the cursed place.

"Whoa whoa whoa _whoa_!" he shouted, waving his front hooves around widely. "You never said anything about going in _there_!"

Both Sledge and Dark Sky shared a slightly annoyed glance before they looked back at their terrified teammate.

"What's the problem now?" Dark Sky demanded.

"I'm not going in there!" Hammer repeated, pointing a shaking hoof at the twisted forest. "There are all sorts of weird, horrible creatures in there!"

"How do you know that?" Sledge pressed.

"Because I've heard the stories! Manticores! Hydras! Cockatrices! They're _all_ in there!"

"Have you ever actually _seen_ any of those things?"

Hammer stopped shivering for a moment to think that over. "Well...no..."

"So then how do you _know_ they're in there?" he repeated.

"Cause-"

"Don't tell me you heard stories!" Sledge cut him off. "I want to know if _you_ personally saw any of them."

"No. No I didn't," he answered softly while hanging his head.

"Then just write them off as just stupid stories and let's get going."

"Here I'll do you want better," Dark Sky spoke up. "The most dangerous thing in this forest is _me_. And you're traveling with me, right?"

"Yeah..." Hammer agreed, lifting his head slightly.

"Then as long as you stay with me nothing will hurt you. Now let's get going!"

"Hey! You're right!" the large earth pony exclaimed as he stood up and moved towards them again.

Dark Sky let out another sigh then turned and led them through the dark forest. Along the way they passed by a white unicorn that was laying semiconscious on the ground and muttering incoherently as he twitched a bit.

"No. No. Not the Banana King," he rambled.

"Who is that?" Sledge asked, nodding his head towards the fallen unicorn.

"Just someone who was unfortunate enough to get in my way," Dark Sky responded with a light, sinister chuckled.

Behind her, Sledge and Hammer exchanged worried glances but kept their mouths shut. Soon enough they came upon the ruins of the old castle and made their way carefully across the old rickety bridge. Once inside the castle, the two earth ponies followed the unicorn down a flight of stairs into the deeper recesses of the ruins. As they did so, they trailed back just slightly so they could talk amongst themselves.

"Hey Sledge, I'm not so sure about this anymore," Hammer whispered to his friend. "I'm it was fun at first but I'm starting to get a really weird vibe from her and this place."

"I know, I know," the grey pony nodded back. "But I think it's a little too late to turn back now. For better or worse, we're in this thing deep. Let's just hope there's a good pay off in the end."

"'Pay off'?" he spat back. "I'm more worried about my _head_ coming off!"

"Just act cool, be calm, and do what she says and we should be all right," Sledge advised him.

"I better be. If I die and you don't I am _totally_ coming back to haunt you," Hammer warned.

The rest of the trip was made in silence until they came across the remains of a wooden door that led into a torch lit room. Dark Sky ignored them as they looked about the room at all the strange artifacts scattered about and walked right up to the alter she had visited before. She drew the book from the saddle bag and laid it carefully down on the stone slab. She used her magic to flip it open to a passage she had read a long, long time ago. She began to read through them all again rapidly in an effort to find any hint of what to do in her current predicament.

As she read silently to herself, Sledge looked around for something that might be valuable to him. Unfortunately, what little was there seemed to have given into the ravages of time and weren't worth savaging. It was then that he stumbled upon six round rocks laying around a circular pattern. He cocked an eyebrow at them then leaned forward to get a closer look.

"So what are these things?" he asked Dark Sky offhandedly.

"DON'T TOUCH THOSE!" she shrieked in blind rage, spinning around and levitating him off the ground. "Even cracked those stones are worth more than both your pathetic lives! You understand me?"

"Yes ma'am!" they both quickly spat out.

"Good," she remarked then dropped Sledge to the floor and turned back to the tome. "Now leave me alone for awhile. I need to catch up on my reading."

Hammer helped Sledge back up to his feet and the pair stepped out into the hallway.

"What was _that_ about?" Hammer whispered to him.

"I don't know. But it'd be best not to touch those things _ever_ again," the grey pony muttered.

"No kidding," the other one nodded. "So what do we do now?"

"I guess we just wait and see."

"We could try running."

"Doubtful. Like I said, for better or for worse we're in this thing til the end," Sledge said remorsefully.

"Just hope it's not _our_ end," Hammer added grimly.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Back inside the room, Dark Sky was engrossed in the book she had liberated from the Ponyville library. She poured through as many pages as she could to learn all the secrets of about the Elements of Discord that she could. As her eyes scanned over passage after passage she realized she should have done this a thousand years ago. Then maybe none of her sorrow would have come to pass. Maybe things would have gone differently. _Much_ differently. But she was determined to make up for those past mistakes. This time things would be different. This time it would all work out for her and her Empresses. This time, _they_ would be victorious! She just needed to find something that would help her in her quest in the here and now.

"Aha!" she cried gleefully. "'Finding the new Elements of Discord'. This must be what I need. I already found them before and it wasn't anything like this spell. So then..."

She levitated the book then walked into the middle of the circle and laid it down carefully on the floor. She made sure she was perfectly in line with the six stone before she started to read the ancient incantation. As she did so she could feel something coming from the stones. Something so faint she wasn't able to detect it with her own magic before. But _now_ she could feel it. The stones _were_ still active and linked to new Elements of Discord. Her voice grew louder as she continued to read the spell and her horn glowed brighter and brighter, overcoming even the light from the torches. Beams of energy started to shoot out of the stones and connect to her horn, flowing straight into her body. Pain started to course through her but she pushed it back. This was _nothing_ compared to what she dealt with before. As the power grew stronger and stronger she actually started to levitate off the floor.

She hung suspended in midair by the power flowing them the stones and into her. She had already completed the incantation but the spell seemed to have overpowered her. Her mind opened wide to the secrets of the universe and for a moment she could see it all. It was all so overwhelming but so enticing.

"I see it! I see it all! I know everything! I _am_ everything!" she screamed, her voice echoing with power and rage.

Then, just as it seemed she couldn't take anymore, the world suddenly went black.

She awoke a short time later to someone calling her name and gently nuzzling her. She cracked open a sore eye to see Sledge and Hammer standing over her with surprisingly concerned looks on their faces.

"You're...still...here," she mumbled in surprise.

The glanced at each other, not sure how to take that reaction.

"Well...yeah," Sledge remarked.

"We were just out in the hallway. We saw the whole thing. What a light show!" Hammer cheered.

"So what _was_ that?" the grey pony asked as he helped her up.

"Just the tool I needed," she replied weakly. "I can now find the other five ponies I need."

"Ponies? We were after ponies the whole time?"

"Yes and no," she started to explain as she walked a little unsurely over to the nearest wall to lean against it for support. "What we're looking for are ponies who bonded with those," she motioned to the rocks.

"Ready to tell us what those are now?" Sledge prompted.

"The Elements of Discord."

"'Elements of Discord'?" Hammer repeated in confusion. "No, no, no, it's the Elements of Harmony. Like in the story."

"Is there any story you _don't_ listen to?" Sledge mocked.

"Not...really."

"He's right to listen to this one," Dark Sky defended, her strength slowly returning. "There _are_ the Elements of Harmony but there are also there opposite side, the Elements of Discord. And like the Harmony elements, these ones got used up in a battle a long time ago."

"Oh the one that sealed Nightmare Moon up on the moon, right?" Hammer guessed.

"Yes, that very same one. And just like the Elements of Harmony, the Elements of Discord have bonded with ponies in the present here."

"And the spell was so you could locate them," Sledge reasoned.

"Exactly," Dark Sky nodded, finally standing up on all four hooves. "I saw the other five we'll need to gather up. Another unicorn, two more earth ponies and two Pegasus ponies. And if what I saw in my vision was true they're all in or around Ponyville in some can cosmic sense of irony."

"Ponyville? But we just _came_ from there," Hammer whined. "I don't wanna have to walk _all_ the way back there."

"You won't have to. Since I have a connection to them I should be able to use my new enhance magical skills to teleport us all close enough to the other Elements," she informed them and then stumbled slightly. "But I'm going to need to rest a bit to gather up my full strength. I suggest you do the same boys because we've got miles to go before we sleep tonight," she declared with a wicked smile.

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Notes: **First off, you might have noticed the display title of this fic changed on the FF.N page. Well that's because apparently there's _another_ fic also called "The Elements of Discord" and the author of that one asked me to change the title of mine to avoid confusion. So I obliged him a bit. I couldn't change it completely though because as you can see the Elements of Discord are going to play a _big_ part in this fic. Now let me say I didn't even know he had a fic called that and the similarities there are purely coincidental. Honestly from what I've seen the only real similarities are the fact that there things called the Elements of Discord in both our fits. Beyond that they will be going in _very_ different paths. Well...I might use _one_ of the same canon characters that shows up in that fic but I won't say who just now. You'll have to try and figure that out on your own.

Of course, I had originally planned to introduce all of the Element of Discord ponies in this chapter but then I realized how long the thing was getting so I decided to switch things up a bit. The next chapter we'll be going back to the canon characters for a bit and then the chapter after that we'll meet the new ponies. Kinda think it'll flow better that way now actually. Here's hoping I'm right.

Now for something extra fun I figured I'd throw out the ideas for "voice actors" for Dark Sky, Sledge and Hammer. These are the voices I hear in my head when I'm writing them. I know that sounds kinda wrong, but it's really the most accurate description I can give. I try to "hear" all the characters voices in my head to help make sure I'm getting the canon one's right and to provide some good personalities for my OCs. Of which I have many and plenty of will be popping up in this story. So anyone who doesn't like OCs should just bale right now.

Anyway these are who I would cast in these roles should they ever be on TV:

Dark Sky-Grey DeLisle

Sledge-Rino Romano

Hammer-Kevin Michael Richardson

If you go look up some of their credits you'll see I actually have a bit of actor allusions to the designs of Sledge and Hammer based on those casting choices.

Oh I also had a bit of fun with the fandom in the scene regarding Caramel and his...interactions with Big Mac and his extended family. Just a little nod and a wink I couldn't help but throw in there. You guys can also play my favorite game, "How Many Pop Culture References Are There?" Seriously I tossed quite a bit of them in this chapter and they're be plenty more to come. Some are subtle, some are not. Can you find them all?

Well that's all of my rambling for now. Better get to work on the next chapter, huh?

See ya guys there!


	3. So Many Questions, So Little Answers

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

**The Elements of Discord**

**Chapter 3: So Many Questions, So Little Answers**

Twilight sat at one of the outdoor tables in front of Smoothie Hooves, sipping idly on an orange and hay smoothie. She had tried to enjoy the rest of the day, but her encounter with that earth pony Star Gazer from this morning kept repeating in her head. She couldn't quite place her hoof on it, but there was something about the whole thing that just seemed...strange. She didn't want to fall into the same trap as the others by calling him odd but he was definitely...different. Like how he know her name when she was sure she had never met him before.

_Well...I guess it wouldn't be _that_ hard to learn my name, right?_ She asked herself. _I mean I _am_ Princess Celestia's top student after all and I _did_ save the town from the Ursa Minor so those kinds of things could get around. So yea maybe that's where he learned my name from. Simple._

She nodded to try to convince herself that was all it was, but her brows furrowed as she took another sip from her straw.

_But he also said that "she" is coming back,_ she recalled. _So who is "she"? _Her eyes widened in horror. _No. He couldn't mean...but we beat her. She's gone and Princess Luna is back. So it couldn't be. Unless it's a different "she". But then...who could it be?_

She let out a low groan and propped her head up on her hooves before she took another, longer sip of her smoothie.

_Maybe I'm over thinking this and he really _was_ just an eccentric pony,_ she told herself. _But then why am I so uneasy about the whole thing? Even thinking about it now makes my mane stand up on end and my tail twitch._

Her eyes suddenly widened and her face took on a shocked and pained expression. A reaction not only caused by sipping too much cold smoothie at once but also due to that last thought that crossed her mind.

_Great now I'm starting to sound like Pinkie Pie,_ she frowned as she rubbed her now throbbing forehead. _Although she actually _did_ end up being right so maybe..._

"Twilight! Twilight there ya are!" the sound of Applejack's voice called out, breaking her train of thought.

She turned to see the orange pony coming towards her in full gallop with a worried look on her own face. She stopped in front of Twilight's table and took a moment to catch her breath before she spoke again.

"Twilight. There's something I need to talk to you about," she started with one last exhausted huff.

"What is it AJ?" she purple unicorn asked, turning her full attention to her friend.

No sooner had Applejack opened her mouth to talk than another familiar voice cried out hysterically.

"Twilight! Applejack!" Rarity shouted as she galloped over to them. "Terrible, awful, horrible, _dreadful_ news!"

The other two ponies glanced at each other as the white unicorn took a haystack seat at the table opposite of Twilight.

"Sooo...what's up?" Twilight asked.

"Oh it's just _awful_," Rarity stressed dramatically.

"We got that, but what, pray tell, is just so awful?" Applejack pressed.

"Well after my trip to the spa with Fluttershy I was feeling so good that I decide to hold in impromptu fashion show outside my store. You know, to help bring in new clients and show off some of my latest creations, which are some of my best if I do say so myself," she explained while pointing a hoof to herself.

"That doesn't sound _so_ bad," Twilight shrugged. "In fact it sounds like a good idea."

"Oh I know!" Rarity agreed with an energetic nod. "But as soon as I got all beautiful dresses out, these _horrible_ black clouds started to appear and ruined everything!"

Applejack and Twilight looked at each other again, clearly not understanding the crisis the fashion designer faced.

"And your point is?" Applejack asked with more than a hint of annoyance.

"My _point_ is that I can't show off my wonderful dresses in that dingy light!" Rarity shot back. "They have to be seen in the _sun_! That way the natural light hits their highlights and threading just perfectly to show off the love and care that went into their making. Not to mention help all the gemstones sewn into them shine brightly out and attract the wondering eyes."

Her own eyes sparkled like the gemstones in her dresses at the thought of her hoof woven items displayed brilliantly in the midday sun. But it quickly fell when she remembered what had caused her distress in the first place. She let out a loud huff of annoyance as she plopped her chin down on the table to give her friends the biggest, saddest eyes she could.

"Needless to say I had to drag all my pretty garments back inside because of this," she said as a way to finish her tale of woe. "It's been a _very_ bad day for little Rarity."

"Yeah, Ah feel for ya darlin'," Applejack said rather dismissively as she turned back to Twilight. "Anyway, like _Ah_ was tryin' to tell ya, Ah think there may be a _real_ problem kicking up in Ponyville."

"Why? What's going on?" Twilight asked.

"Well, Ah was doin' some applebucking when I spotted two old farmhooves we had to fire cause one was stealing apples from us and the other said some rather...unlady-like things to a certain pony," she explained.

Before Twilight could respond, Rarity let out a horrified gasp then leaned closer towards Applejack.

"What did the roughen say to poor, dear old Granny Smith?" she pressed in concern.

For her part though, the orange pony look more annoyed with the question.

"It wasn't her," she answered back.

Again the white unicorn let out a gasp of horror and disbelief.

"Not little Apple Bloom! She's still just a filly! She hasn't even gotten her Cutie Mark yet!" Rarity exclaimed in her usual overly dramatic way.

"Ah was talkin' 'bout _me_!" Applejack finally snapped, stopping her left hoof on the ground in irritation.

Rarity just blinked a few times before an embarrassed look crossed her face.

"Ooooh. Well, that _is_ horrible and I'm sorry for the confusion it's just..." she trailed off weakly.

"Just what?" the other pony pressed.

"It's just that you used the term _un_lady like which meant to me he had offended a _lady_ and well..."

"'Well' what?" Applejack repeated again, her face looking more angry by the second.

Rarity noticed this and did her best to think of the right phrasing for her explanation that wouldn't set the often quick tempered earth pony off.

"Well..it's just...that...Applejack, dear, _darling_, you're not really what one would think of when they think of a 'lady'," she started.

As predicted, it looked like Applejack was gearing up for a long winded, heated tirade against Rarity, but she was quick to shake her hooves in front of her friend to cut off such an exchange.

"Ah ah ah ah," the unicorn quickly chided. "That's not to say you're a bad pony or anything, in fact _far_ from it. It's just that you have a certain...down home quality that doesn't quite befit what one would think of when using the term 'lady'. But we _still_ all love you for that quality, right Twilight?"

"I'm staying out of this one for now," the other unicorn stated wisely then took another sip of her smoothie as she continued to watch the display in front of her.

Rarity glared at Twilight for a second in a silent "Gee thanks" look before she turned her attention back to Applejack who in turn was glaring at the purple maned unicorn. Rarity tried to speak up in her defense but this time it was the earth pony who cut her off with a raised hoof.

"Well _excuse _me, if _Ah_ don't live up to your hoity toity, high falootin, better than any other pony, definition of what a 'lady' is!" Applejack snapped. "But Ah'll let you in on a little secret there Rarity, Ah _did_ try to enter into high society when Ah was a blank flanked filly cause Ah _thought_ that's what Ah wanted. But Ah _hated_ it! So if me lovin' buckin' apples and getting my hooves dirty every once and awhile doesn't qualify me as 'a lady' then Ah guess Ah just ain't ever gonna be a lady!"

A tense silence fell over the table as the heated words sank in. Rarity closed her eyes and turned her head away in shame as she tried to think of what she could say to make it up to her friend. For her part, Applejack let out a few short breaths to calm herself after her tirade and began to feel bad herself when she saw how upset the unicorn had gotten from her remarks. They had both seemed to come to a mutual, if silent, agreement that they never meant to offend the other, but they were unsure of how exactly to put it into words. Or perhaps they were afraid to break the silence for fear that it would start up another argument.

Thankfully, Twilight did that for them with a loud slurping sound from her cup as she finished off the last of her smoothie. They both looked at her in surprise and slight annoyance to which she smiled nervously and shrank back a bit.

"Oops. Sorry," she offered.

"No, no it is _I_ who should apologize to _you_ Applejack," Rarity spoke up. "I didn't mean any harm by my comment I was just...well thinking out loud without doing much thinking."

Applejack chuckled a bit. "Yeah, Ah guess you were. Still, Ah wasn't asking much better and Ah didn't mean to snap at ya like that. Ah guess it just brought up some bad memories is all. We okay, sugar cube?"

"But of course. We _are_ friends after all, aren't we?"

"Of course we are," Twilight interrupted. "And with that settled, what were you talking about before AJ?"

"Huh?" the blonde pony asked in a moment of confusion but then quickly remembered why she had come to Twilight in the first place. "Oh right, Sledge and Hammer."

"Who?" Twilight asked.

"Those are the two varmints Ah mentioned earlier. The ones we kicked outta Sweet Apple Acres."

"Wait, are they two large, rather rude earth ponies? One grey and one purple?" Rarity guessed.

Applejack gave her a surprised look, but still nodded slowly.

"Yeah that's them. How do you know about 'em?" she asked in confusion.

"Because I heard how they cause such a _dreadful_ commotion in the town square today. They were berating Caramel for something or other and from what I heard made him cry, the poor dear," she related the story.

"That's them alright," Applejack remarked bitterly.

"Well, it certainly sounds like they're jerks, but I don't see what the actual problem is," Twilight noted.

"Well, for one they're _always_ up ta no good, but what really struck me today was that they were with some dark blue unicorn Ah had never seen before," Applejack informed her. Her face then suddenly scrunched up and she started to rub her chin with her right hoof. "Waitaminute. Rarity, you said you had to cancel your show cause of some weird dark clouds, right?"

"Unfortunately," she pouted again. "And when I asked a nearby Pegasus about it, he didn't have any idea what was going on."

"Neither did Rainbow Dash," the earth pony added. "She was helping me on the farm, but had to stop when all these dark clouds appeared. Said she was goin' to the weather factory ta check it out."

"Okay, now _that_ is weird," Twilight mused. "I suppose it's not completely out of the question for the factory to break down but it _is_ highly unusual."

"Especially since those clouds seemed to disappear once that unicorn walked off with Sledge and Hammer," Applejack noted. "Ya think she had something to do with it? Can unicorn magic actually do that?"

Twilight and Rarity glanced at each other.

"No unicorn _I_ ever heard of could do that," Twilight said with a shake of her head.

"Nor I," Rarity added. "Unicorn magic is usually used to help increase a specialized skill. I've near heard of one that could control the weather. That's usually a Pegasus' job."

"Though Trixie _was_ able to conjure up a storm cloud to fight off the Ursa Minor," Twilight noted. "So it's not _completely _out of the question." She tapped a hoof on the edge of the table in thought. "Okay, I'll go back to my library and see if I can find anything on unicorns controlling the weather. Applejack, you and Rarity ask around town to see if anyone else had dealt with those black clouds or if any of those three ponies have turned up elsewhere."

"Gotcha sugar cube," Applejack nodded enthusiastically then turned to Rarity. "Come on Rarity, we got ourselves a mystery to solve."

"Alright, but I _do_ wish you wouldn't sound so excited about this," the unicorn remarked as she slid off the haystack seat.

"And why not? Not 'lady like' enough for ya?" the other pony snapped back as they started to walk off.

"No, I just don't see the thrill in heading off into a potentially dangerous situation."

Applejack couldn't help but let out a dismissive chortle.

"Honey, the _only_ thing those two are a danger to is common sense," she chuckled.

"And what about this unknown unicorn?" Rarity pointed out. "The own that could somehow control the weather? We don't know anything about _her_, now do we?"

The orange pony turned her green eyes up in thought as they walked. After a moment she finally gave her head a small shake as she shrugged just a bit.

"All right, fair enough, she could be a problem," Applejack agreed. "But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. And don't worry, Ah'll be right there beside ya to do all the fightin' so you don't have ta worry about gettin' your pretty, manicured hooves all scratched up," she said with a slight snicker.

Rarity let out a small huff and turned her head up away from her rather crass friend.

"I should certainly hope _not_," she remarked. "I went through a lot of trouble to get these done just the way I liked them, so I _would_ like to keep them polished for just a little while longer." She then turned her head back around to give her friend an appraising look. "While we're on the subject I know you're not one for the 'hoity toity, high falooting' treatment, but still say it wouldn't hurt you to get a quick make-over just _once_. I'm sure that spa can work wonders at getting the knots out of your back and shoulders from all the applebucking you do."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Ah _really_ don't think this is the time for that."

"Just think it over. That's all I ask."

"Fine. Whatever. Let's just get ta finding these yahoos before they get away."

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

While Applejack and Rarity searched through the town, Twilight returned to her library dwelling with the hopes of finding some clue to this bizarre mystery in one of the many books there. Unfortunately, the moment she stepped inside she received a huge shock as she found several books scattered around the room and a familiar purple and green form laying prone on the floor. Her heart skipped a bit as she galloped over to the baby dragon to see if he was alright.

"Spike! Spike are you okay?" she cried out in a growing panic.

For his part, Spike merely let out a few tired groans as he stirred before he finally set up right and stretched with a loud yawn.

"Hey Twilight," he muttered, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What's going-AAAAAHH!" His scream came from the same surprise Twilight had received when he noticed the state of the library. "What happened here?"

"You mean you don't know?" the purple unicorn asked in confusion.

He shook his head. "No. The last thing I remember was straightening up a bit and then...you waking me up."

Twilight's face scrunched up in further confusion and annoyance as she surveyed the damage.

"Well _somepony_ was in here," she remarked. "And it's obvious they were looking for _something_. But what?"

"A book?" Spike guessed with a shrug.

"Well obviously. But why go to all these lengths? And what kind of book was it? And does it have anything to do with those weird clouds everypony's been seeing?"

"Weird clouds?" the dragon asked, scratching his head.

Twilight turned her full attention towards him and shook her head.

"I'll explain it later when _I_ know what's going on. For now we need to find out what book was taken and if any of the ones we have here have something on free roaming clouds."

"But...that could take _hours_," Spike groaned as he looked over the numerous messy piles of books.

"I know. And unfortunately we may not _have_ hours," she remarked. "But I think I know somepony who _might_ be able to point us in the right direction. Somepony I should have gone to from the start."

With her mind made up, she headed straight towards the door. She was just about to leave when she suddenly stopped and an embarrassed blush crossed her face before she looked back at Spike sheepishly.

"Hey Spike, I hate to ask but could you...?" she started.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll pick the place up," the baby dragon muttered even as he was already starting to collect the discarded books.

"Thank you," Twilight smiled in appreciation then headed out.

In her excitement, however, she forgot just one crucial thing: she had absolutely no idea where Star Gazer lived. If he even lived in Ponyville at all. Still he created such a ruckus this morning that _somepony _had to have seen where he went. She looked around the marketplace for anypony that didn't look too busy to talk to her for a moment. Eventually she spotted a sandy brown coated, green maned pony with a floating rock Cutie Mark looking over the carrots in a nearby kiosk. She took a second to compose herself so she wouldn't come across as a raving lunatic and frighten the other pony off. Instead she walked up calmly to her and even glanced at the carrots so to start up a conversation.

"Good carrots they have here, huh?" Twilight asked awkwardly.

"I guess so. They smell good at least," the earth pony replied disinterestedly.

"I...guess they do. So, this morning with that weird Star Gazer pony. What was that all about, right?" she rambled just a bit.

"Dunno," she shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yeah crazy stuff. Say I don't suppose you saw where he went after that, did you?"

It was at that point the other pony smirked before she turned her head towards the sound of Twilight's voice. Through the green bangs over her face, Twilight could see that her pupils were very pale in color and almost blended in with the whites of her eyes. The unicorn had never seen anything like that before but she had _read_ about it and when she realize what it meant and what she had just asked, she suddenly felt really stupid and ashamed.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry I didn't know you were...um..." she stumbled on a polite way to say it.

"Blind as a bat?" the earth pony finished for her with a slight chuckle.

"Yes. No! I mean not like that. And actually bats aren't really blind they see through a sense of echolocation where-" Twilight rambled uselessly.

"Aw don't worry about it. She loves pulling that trick on everypony," a voice to the side advised her.

Silently thankful for the distraction, Twilight turned her to head to see that the unicorn walking towards them had too perfectly functioning golden eyes. He also had a long blonde mane he wore in a braid that hung down the right side of his head as well as a long red coat that covered most of his peach colored body including his Cutie Mark. He smiled brightly as he came to a stop just in front of the girls.

"Let me guess she didn't introduce herself either, huh?" he remarked, glancing at the earth pony.

"Actually, I didn't really give her a chance to, so that's kind of my fault," Twilight explained.

"Probably wouldn't have even if you did, right sis?" he joked.

Twilight blinked in confusion before her eyes darted back and fourth between the unicorn and earth pony.

"Wait. 'Sis'?" she asked, with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah, she's my sister," the unicorn explained. "See our dad was a unicorn and our mom an earth pony."

"Duh," the blind pony scoffed. "Not _that_ hard to figure out."

"Well, I know, I just not used to...okay this is starting to get out of hand again," Twilight muttered with a shake of her head. "How about we start over again?"

"Good idea, name's Castor and this my sister Rockslide," the unicorn greeted formally.

"Hiya!" Rockslide said cheerfully with a wave of her right hoof.

"Please to meet you. I'm-"

"Twilight Sparkle, I know," Castor cut her off.

She gave him a surprised look. "How did you know that?"

"Hard _not_ to know Princess Celestia's top student, especially around these parts."

"Oh. Right. I guess that makes sense," Twilight remarked, confirming one of her earlier suspicions.

"Dunno, _I_ couldn't recognize her face," Rockslide joked.

"Stop that," Castor chided then looked at Twilight again. "So what can we do for you?"

"Well, you know that pony from this morning? Star Gazer?"

"Yeah? What about him?"

"I don't suppose you know where he lives do you? If he leaves anywhere around here at all I mean."

Castor paused for a second and brought his hoof up to rub his chin in thought.

"Hmmm...I think he leaves right on the edge of town that way," he replied, pointing to the west. "In a broken tree I believe."

"A _haunted_ broken tree! Oooooohhhhhh!" Rockslide added dramatically, standing on her back legs so she could wave her right hooves around like a ghost.

"I told you to cut it out!" Castor snapped again.

"What? It's what _I_ heard," she returned as she lowered herself.

"I'll...take my chances," Twilight said then nodded gratefully. "Thank you for your help. If you ever need anything let me know."

"I wouldn't mind getting a chance to look through the royal library in Canterlot. I heard it has a lot of great magic books in it."

"It does and I'll be happy to show you there myself sometime, but for now I gotta run," Twilight said hastily as she took off in full gallop. "Thanks again!"

Castor waved to her until she was out of sight then turned back to his sister.

"Yes! We got an in with the Princess' protege! It is gonna be so cool to see that library!" he cheered.

"Eh, library never did a thing for me," Rockslide waved off.

The peach color unicorn just sighed and rolled his eyes at her lackluster attitude.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Twilight continued her gallop through town and before she knew it she found herself at the edge of Ponyville. Thankfully it was the other side of the town from where there Everfree Forest lay so she wouldn't have to go through _there_ again to find her answers. Even if she did like occasionally visiting Zecora for idle chit chat or sharing new spells, she really didn't want to take the chance of being turned into stone again right now. Or ever really.

_Come on. Come on. Head in the game Twilight,_ she scolded herself as she gently thunked her forehead with her right hoof. _Okay, they said he lived in a broken tree. So if it's a house then it'd have to be a rather big tree even if it _is_ broken. _

She looked around the meadow she found herself in and while it was true there were very few houses this far out there did seem to be quite a lot of trees. Quite a lot of _big_ trees. And none of them seemed broken. She let out a soft sigh then lowered and shook her head.

"Of course it wouldn't be _that_ easy," she muttered.

Despite the setback, Twilight lifted her head with a look of fierce determination on her face then set about looking for a broken tree among all the full standing ones. She was actually a little surprised how many trees there were on this side of the town and for a moment thought that maybe she _had_ ended up in the Everfree Forest. Soon enough, though, her search came to an end when she found the broken tree. She was positive it was the right one as not only was it a very large broken tree it was also the only one with a door and window in the truck. There was even a chimney carved out of some of the remaining stump on top. It was actually quite an impressive site and one she would have liked to known how he pulled off at some other point in time. Right now she had more important business to attend to. She walked up to the tan colored door and raised a hoof to knock on it but as she did so, a voice called out from inside.

"The door is unlocked. You may enter, Twilight Sparkle," it encouraged her.

"Okay, _that_ was a bit weird," she muttered even as she pushed the door open.

When she stepped inside that much like the library where she lived, the hollowed out tree made a surprisingly cozy looking home. Obviously it was smaller than the library as it appeared to be just a one room house but it was also fully furnished. She could see a couch under another window to her left, a bed at the far end of the room, a closet next to it and a series of bookcases carved out of the trunk itself which held books even she hadn't seen before as well as various vials and other trinkets, none of which she recognized. What cause her attention the most, thought, was the round table that sat in the middle of the room. It was covered with a star patterned table cloth and topped with a small crystal ball. She had to refrain some rolling her eyes for fear of offending her host who sat behind the table to face her. Though he didn't seem to be paying much attention to her more so than he was staring into his crystal ball. She was about to make her presence known but again he cut her off.

"Time," Star Gazer said cryptically.

Twilight just stared at him blankly.

"Excuse me?" she ask after an awkward pause.

"Time," he repeated, finally looking up at her expectedly.

"Umm...flies when you're having fun?" she asked unsurely.

"Time," he said again, giving her a more serious look.

"Heals all wounds?" she tried again.

"Time."

"Um...uh..." she muttered, scratching her head in confusion. "Bandits? Wait, no that doesn't make any sense."

"Time."

Twilight's brow furrowed in annoyance. "What about time?"

"Exactly," he replied then looked into the ball again.

"What? What does that mean?" she huffed, walking over to the table.

"No one truly understand how time works," Star Gazer finally told her. "They believe it simply goes straight towards a final, inevitable end. But the truth is time is much more circular and that to accomplish any great task, you much understand the one, single truth about time."

"And...what is that?" Twilight asked, already starting to feel a bit lost.

He took his dark blue eyes off of the ball to stare directly into her purple eyes intently.

"All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again," he recited prophetically.

Now she was _sure_ she was lost.

"All of _what_?" she demanded, slamming a hoof down on the table. "What's going on here?"

"I cannot tell you that," he said remorsefully, looking away from her.

"Why not? You can blather on about time and drums, but you can't tell me what's going on around with all these weird dark clouds? Because _that's_ what I need to know about!"

"Aww...the drums," he muttered then began to tap his hoof on the table to the four toned beat he tapped out this morning. "They're getting louder. Closer. It's almost here."

"_What_? What is almost here?" she screamed then gave an exhausted sigh.

"That...you will have to discover for yourself. I cannot offer you the help you seek."

Twilight growled as she continued to glare daggers into him. "But you _do_ know what's going to happen, don't you?"

"I know what _may_ happen. Just as I know what _has_ happened and what _is_ happening," he clarified. "But there are forces even one such as myself must obey and I am forbidden to directly interfere in these matters. _That_ is the price of true knowledge Twilight Sparkle, always to watch, but never to act."

"But...that doesn't make any sense!" Twilight blurted out, throwing her hooves in the air. "If you _know_ what's going to happen then you _know_ what I need to know and you can simply just _tell_ me so I can prevent...whatever's supposed to happen!"

"I already told you that I cannot," Star Gazer repeated with a firm shake of his head.

"And why _not_?" she snapped.

"Simply put, it is because this is _not_ my story that is being written Twilight Sparkle, it is _yours_. So _you_ must see this through to the end. You have all the tools you need at your disposal. You simply have to stop and think about it. Take in the _dark sky_ that has fallen upon you and your friends and know that for every element of harmony in the world this is always an element of...discord," he advised her in the same cryptic tone he had used earlier before he went back to looking into the crystal ball in front of him.

Twilight lowered herself from the table and stood still as she tried to understand what he had just told her. Most of it sounded like complete gibberish but something about his last few sentences stood out to her. Why was it focused so much on her and her friends? And why mention the Elements of Harmony? Did they have something to do with it? Why put so much emphasis on the phrase "dark sky"? And what was that last bit about elements of discord? Was that...?

"Please," she said, turning back to him. "I need to know just a little more."

"I have told you all that I can. Perhaps even a bit too much. You must go now and see if you can break the cycle," Star Gazer instructed with a wave of his left hoof.

"But-" she started to protest, but was caught off by him in a more unusual manner this time.

"Time begins and then time ends

And then time begins once again

It is happening now

It has happened before

It will surely happen again," he sang softly

Twilight stood in an awkward silence following the song then mustered the best, noncreeped out smile she could before she slowly started to back up towards the door. Once she was half way across the room she quickly turned to sprint the rest of the way towards the door, threw it open and then broke into a full stride out of the tree house and back towards Ponyville.

"Why do half the ponies I meet end up being _crazy_?" she screamed to the trees around her.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

By the time she made her back to the library, Twilight was beginning to feel exhausted from all the running she had done that way. Still there was many questions that needed to be answered and she wouldn't allow herself to rest until she found them. When she stepped inside she was pleasantly surprised to find most of the books that were on the floor had been put away in their correct spots. There was only one small stack left and when she looked at where it should have gone she found Spike standing on the rolling ladder with a square piece of wood in his right hand and inspecting something she couldn't see.

"Spike, what are you doing?" she asked gently.

He jumped a bit in surprise at her voice which unfortunately caused him to lose his balance on the ladder and fall off. Thankfully he was saved a rather painful fall by Twilight's magic catching him and gently setting him on the floor. He let out a relieved say as he wiped his forehead.

"Thanks Twilight," he said.

"No problem," she replied as she bent her head down to look at the object he was holding. "What's that?"

"Oh this?" he asked, holding the piece of wood open. "Dunno. Found it lying in with the books all over the place and when I went to check it out I found a hidden compartment in one of the shelves."

"A hidden compartment?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. Looks like whatever was there was taken by the same pony who messed up all the books."

"Okay, this is seriously starting to get weird," Twilight muttered, taking a few steps forward. "Spike, take a letter."

The baby dragon nodded then tossed the bit of wood away in his race to his writing podium. He unrolled a piece of parchment and yanked the writing quill out of the bottle of ink and prepared himself to take down whatever dictation Twilight had in mind. She nodded when she saw he was ready and started her latest letter the same way she started all of them:

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

_Strange occurrence_s _have been happening all around Ponyville today. There are reports of a unicorn nopony knows, strange black clouds appearing and disappearing around the town with no assistance from the Pegasi and I have personally talked with a rather...unusual pony who I believe made a veiled reference to objects called "The Elements of Discord" and a "dark sky". There was also a hidden compartment in one of the book shelves in the library where I live that was discovered and raided. _

_As always I shall do my best to uncover this mystery myself, but if there is any information from the royal library that may help me in my investigations then I humbly ask that you refer me to those materials. _

_Your Faithful Student_

_-Twilight Sparkle"_

"And...done!" Spike said happily after her finished her named.

He then rolled it up and sent it to the princess via his magical, green fire as always. Once it was gone, however, he had one important question to ask:

"So what do we do now?"

"I suppose start looking through the books here and see if _we_ can find anything about these 'Elements of Discord'," Twilight suggested. "I suppose the best place to start would be with the book about the "Elements of Harmony."

"Gotcha!" Spike said excitedly then ran off to fetch the desired book.

Twilight smiled softly at his eagerness to help, but it quickly faded as that bad feeling she had from this morning slowly started to return. In fact, her talk with Star Gazer made it even worse. She hoped it was just a wave of paranoia but she was starting to have flashbacks to just before she first arrived in Ponyville. But when she was trying to prevent the reemergence of Nightmare Moon. While it was true she eventually defeated the Mare in the Moon, and gained some wonderful friends in the process, she hadn't actually _stopped_ her from coming back. If there _was_ some other force that was planning to return she had feeling she had to stop it _before_ it did this time or it might not work out as well this time.

_No_! She protested with a shake of her head. _I can't think like that. I have to stay positive. Whatever's going on here I _know_ my friends and I will be able to defeat it. We're the Elements of Harmony after all, what could equal that?_ Her smile returned in a moment of bravado but it quickly vanished. _Maybe something called the "Elements of Discord". Whatever those _are! _Argh! This is so frustrating! I _need_ to have some answers to all these questions! I just hope Princess Celestia writes back soon._

As if the Princess herself has heard her, no sooner did Spike return with the book than he let out a small belch of green flame which produced a rolled up scroll with the royal seal on it. He set the book down then quickly discarded of the ribbon holding the parchment closed then unrolled it and cleared his throat before he began to read aloud.

_My Faithful Student,_

_If what you said is true then it is imperative that you return to Canterlot immediately. There is much I must tell you and I wish to do it in private. I have sent an air chariot for you and it should arrive shortly. Please do not tell anyone of your trip and tell only those who must know about the information I am going to give you so as to avoid a panic. Please to not write back and get on the chariot as soon as it arrives. Time is of the essence and the fate of Equestria and you and your friends may hang in the balance._

_Your Concerned Mentor,_

_-Princess Celestia_

As soon as he finished reading the letter, Spike lowered the parchment to give Twilight a confused and somewhat frightened look.

"Twilight, what's going on here?" he asked desperately.

"I don't know Spike," Twilight answered rather grimly with a shake of her head. "But that bad feeling I've had all day has just gotten a lot worse."

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Notes: **All right well this chapter too longer than I thought it would. Course that seems to be true of all my chapters lately. Though I'm a little disappointed in myself for that as it _is_ a shorter chapter and a bit of a filler one at that. Well not really "filler" but a "move the story along" type of chapter. Still I definitely had fun with it, especially when writing the scene between Apple Jack and Rarity. Those two are fun to play off each other. Heck this whole _cast_ is just really fun to write. Shame I have I put them in a such a dire situation. But that's how I roll!

So I _am_ trying to cut down on some of the references I throw into my stories so it won't be as confusing for people who don't get them, but a few did sneak in here and there. Mostly in the scene with Star Gazer with all that time talk. But I had fun doing it so I'm not going to apologize for it. Heh. Also the two ponies Twilight ran into might seem a bit familiar to some and I threw them in there mostly for fun as well. Though they might just come back later in this fic. Perhaps. We'll see.

So what does Celestia need to tell Twilight? What's the big secret that she's been keeping for a 1,000 years? Well you'll have to wait a bit for the answers to _those_ questions as next chapter we'll check back in with Dark Sky and the boys to formerly introduce the Ponies of Discord and find out what their ultimate goals will be. Can you figure it out? Probably cause it I don't think I've made it that big of a secret at this point. Meh, the hazards of keeping everypony, even my own OCs, in character. Still I hope you guys will enjoy the rather bumpy part of the ride coming up.

You know, I think this may be one of my shorts author's notes yet. Which I'm sure some people are thankful for.

Anyway see ya at the end of the next chapter!


	4. Collecting The Elements

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

**The Elements of Discord**

**Chapter 4: Collecting The Elements**

Applejack let out a frustrated sigh as she and Rarity continued to make their way through Ponyville. They had scoured half of the town after their meeting with Twilight to see if any other pony had seen the dark clouds or the unicorn and two earth ponies they were looking for, but so far they had turned up...

"Nothing!" Applejack growled in annoyance. "An hour or so of searchin' and we ain't turned up diddlysquat! All we got are vague statements from ponies who _might_ have seen those clouds or the three we're lookin' for. I mean it _can't_ be that hard to find these things, can it?"

"Well, apparently it _is_ that hard to find them as _we_ haven't found them yet," Rarity reminded her.

The orange earth pony glared over at the white unicorn.

"That question was re...hor...reator...re..um...uh.." she staggered to find the right word.

"Rhetorical?" the unicorn offered helpfully.

"Yeah that! Which means don't answer it cause I was talkin' mostly ta mahself."

"Fine, fine do whatever you like," Rarity said with a wave of her hoof then looked down at it and frowned. "But I _do_ hope we find _something_ soon. All this walking around is simply _destroying_ my freshly done manicure."

Applejack rolled her green eyes and shook her head at her friend's backward priorities.

"Ya know, ya wouldn't _have_ to worry about that stuff if you didn't get those prissy little manicures all the time," she noted.

Rarity let out a genuine gasp of horror at that idea.

"And walk around with dirty, mud caked, cracked hooves?" she shrieked. "_Never_! I can't even _begin_ to imagine what that's like!"

The other pony just shrugged. "Feels fine to me."

Rarity shuddered in disgust of the thought again then gave her friend a pleading look.

"_Please_ let me take you to the spa! Just once? Please? Pretty, pretty please with gumdrops on top?" she asked in her sweetest voice as she tilted her head closer to Applejack's.

She became a bit flustered not only by Rarity's close proximity to her but more importantly what the unicorn was asking of her. She had to find a way out of this situation. There was _no way_ she was going to set _one hoof_ in that prissy little place. It was bad enough she had to go there to reverse the effects of the Poison Joke plant. She did _not_ want to go back there again. She needed something or somepony she could use an excuse to change the subject.

"Hey guys, watcha doin'?" Pinkie Pie's voice suddenly called out.

Applejack smiled brightly as she saw the pink earth pony bouncing up to them as joyfully as ever. She quickly rushed to meet her which caught Rarity by surprised and caused her to tip over from the awkward angle she was left standing in. She groaned as she picked herself off the ground and rubbed her now aching head with a hoof.

"Hey Pinkie Pie," Applejack said with a bit of a nervous laugh. "What brings you out here?"

"Oh you know just going around town, talking to ponies, enjoying the day, planning my next big greatest party ever, the usual," Pinkie said offhandedly. "What are you gals doing?"

"We're actually looking for some ponies in particular," the other earth pony mentioned.

"Yes, you wouldn't have happened to see any new unicorns in town would you?" Rarity asked. "Perhaps with two big, mean looking earth ponies with her?"

"Hmmm..." Pinkie mused as she rubbed her chin in thought. After a moment she shook her head. "Nope! Can't say I have! And I would have noticed someone too cause I know _all_ the ponies in Ponyville!"

"We know sugar cube, we know," Applejack reassured her. "How about any strange black clouds?"

"Oh yeah! I've seen those all over! And all the Pegasi trying to clear them out of the air! They're al like 'vroom'! 'Whoosh'! 'Get out of here you stupid clouds'! It's really kind funny to watch," she giggled excitedly.

"Yes I'm sure it is darling but we need to know if you've seen anything _else_ suspicious perhaps?" Rarity prompted.

Pinkie's face scrunched up in thought again.

"Hmmm...well I-" she started but then suddenly stopped as her tail swished around erratically for a second. "Oh, my tail twitched."

The three stood and stared at each other with wide eyes in stalk terror at the implications of that statement.

"Twitchy tail?" Applejack repeated in a hushed voice. "Run!"

The three then bolted off in separate directions. A moment later a large crate came crashing down on right the spot they once stood. High above in the few clouds that were actually scheduled for the day, a grey coated, blond maned Pegasus had her hooves of her mouth as she stared down at the shattered crate and broken couch in embarrassed horror. Her uneven golden eyes then looked towards the crimson coated Pegasus next to her for support.

"I can't believe I dropped _another_ crate! The boss is gonna fire me for sure!" she wailed.

"Hey don't worry we'll just say it slipped out of our hooves. I mean we're both supposed to carry it, right?" the other Pegasus reassured.

"Yeah," the grey one sniffled. "I guess so."

"All right now, who done dropped one of Boxxy Brown's crates?" the deep, and angry, voice of the duo's boss came from the other side of the delivery truck.

"She did it!" the crimson Pegasus cried out quickly, point an accusing hoof to her wide-eyed co-worker. "It was _all_ her fault! Derpy Hooves strikes again!"

"Don't call me that!" 'Derpy' shouted back in annoyance.

"Ditzy Doo!" Boxxy snarled.

"See, _that's_ my name!" Ditzy stated proudly before she turned to see the brown coated Pegasus glaring angrily at her. She then hung her head in shame. "Oh...right..."

"What have I told you about dropping all of Boxxy Brown's stuff? These Pegasi are paying good money to have their stuff to be moved safely and in one piece!" he scolded her.

"I know Boxxy, I know and I'm doing my best," she defended herself. "I just have some depth perception problems."

"Fool I told you to get corrective lenses!"

"But I'd look stupid in them!" Ditzy moaned.

"Like she doesn't look stupid now," the crimson Pegasus snickered to one of her other coworkers.

"Hey leave her alone!" the yellow coated, aqua maned pony snapped then flew over to get in between Ditzy and Boxxy. "I'll help her unload the rest of the stuff, okay Boxxy? We'll be _very_ careful this time, right Ditzy?"

"Totally, 100% careful!" Ditzy replied with a bit of a salute.

The brown coated Pegasus reached up to scratch his head under his black cap as he stared at the two in consideration. He knew they didn't quite have a spotless record of not dropping things either but they _did_ work well together and they needed to get this job done soon.

"All right fine, you can work with her Raindrop just make sure neither of you two drop anything else. You got that?" he snapped.

"Yes sir!" they both snapped back before they went back to unloading the truck.

"And _you _Crimson Streak," Boxxy continued, pointing to the crimson colored Pegasus and more specifically her flame winged Cutie Mark. "That Cutie Mark of yours says you're supposed to be fast, so you better start showing Boxxy that speed or you'll be kicked out of here all too fast!"

"I hear ya, I hear ya," she muttered before she flew into the truck and picked up a box.

She waited until he flew away to check on something inside the large cloud mansion before she started to do a rather crass imitation of him.

"Show Boxxy that speed or I'll kick you out," she mumbled bitterly. "Least _I_ don't talk about myself in the third pony like some weirdo. What's up with ponies who do that anyway? Think they're important or something? Well, one day I'll show them how important _I_ can be!"

Just as she was about to enter the house again, the box she was holding suddenly flew violently out of her hooves. So much so that it caused her to spin around in the air a few times. She finally spread her wings out wide to catch enough of the air currents to slow herself down and correct her hovering. She shook her head clear then look around in confusion.

"What the hay just happened?" she asked herself.

She then noticed the box she had been holding was gone and started to look around the immediate area for it, hoping she hadn't dropped yet _another_ one of the boxes. Not that she cared that much if she kept her job or not, she just didn't want to get yelled at again. When she looked towards the ground her yellow eyes narrowed as she saw the package slowly floating down to the ground towards three ponies.

"Hey! Give that back!" she shouted before she flew down after the box.

She chased it all the way down to the ground where the three ponies stood and now she could make them out as a female, blue coated unicorn and two male earth ponies, one grey and the other purple with a wild green mane. She could also tell it was the unicorn pulling the box towards them with her magic. Crimson Streak snarled as she lunged forward and grabbed the box with both hooves.

"I said give it back!" she growled.

"As you wish," the unicorn remarked flippantly and released the box from her magical hold.

Unfortunately, Crimson had been pulling it with all her might so the unexpected release caused her to once again flip around in the air but this time she landed rather harshly belly side down on the ground yet was still able to hold the package above her head.

"Ow," she whimpered.

She then set the box on the ground so she could pull herself up and glare at the annoying unicorn.

"What's the big idea?" she demanded.

"Just wanted to make sure I got your attention is all," the unicorn replied back. "Crimson Streak."

The stunned Pegasus blinked in confusion. "How do you know my name?"

"Oh, I know all about you," the other pony smirked as she started to walk around the flier. "Like I know that despite the fact that you _won_ the flying competition in your class at Cloudsdale, you were later disqualified when it turned out that the water the other contestants drink had been poisoned oh so slightly. Not enough to do them any lasting harm just enough to make sure they weren't are their best when it came time for the competition."

"Hey, no one ever _proved_ that was me!" Crimson said in her own defense. "Which made the whole disqualification thing a load of horse nuggets!"

"Oh come now," the unicorn practically purred as she leaned closer to the Pegasus, "you and I _both_ know that's not true."

There was tense awkwardness between them as they just stared at each other for several seconds before the unicorn finally flipped her silver mane out of her eye and walked back over to her two companions, leaving Crimson Streak slightly befuddled.

"Okay so you know that about me but who the hay are you?" she demanded.

"I'm Dark Sky," the unicorn replied the pointed to the grey earth pony on her right, "he's Sledge."

"Hi," Sledge greeted softly.

"And that's Hammer," Dark Sky finished, pointing to the purple pony.

"How ya doin'?" Hammer asked with an enthusiastic wave.

Unsure of what else to do, Crimson just waved back lightly then focused her attention on the unicorn again.

"Okay then _Dark Sky_, what exactly do you want with _me_?" she asked a bit bitterly.

"Simple. I want you to join us," the midnight blue pony revealed.

"And why would I want to do that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Because I can offer you much more than a minimum wage job that you hate," Dark Sky revealed.

"Really? And how can you do that?"

"Sorry, can't tell you unless you decide to join us."

"Riiiiight," the Pegasus nodded unconvinced. "Like I'm gonna believe _that_!"

Dark Sky shrugged. "Suit yourself. Come on boys, she's obviously not interested."

With that the three turned and began to slowly walk away. While Sledge and Hammer just traded looks of confusion, Dark Sky had a strangely satisfied smirk on her face. A smirk that grew wider when she heard Crimson Streak call out,

"Wait!"

The all three paused and she took a moment to replace the smirk with a questioning look before she turned her head back to the Pegasus.

"Yes?" she asked innocently.

"I'll go with you," Crimson Streak said as she started to fly over to them.

"But what about your job here?" Dark Sky asked, pointing to the forgotten package.

"Eh I didn't really like it anyway. My boss was a jerk," she waved off.

"Excellent," the unicorn mused. "Well, then pull in close and we'll be on our way."

The Pegasus raised an eyebrow even as she landed and walked closer to Dark Sky, as did Sledge and Hammer.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"To get the others of course."

"What others?"

"Oh...you'll see," Dark Sky answered cryptically and before anymore could be said they all vanished with a bright flash.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

When they reappeared, the first thing Crimson Streak felt was a very powerful dizziness wash over her. She stumbled around for a bit as she tried to keep her balance, eventually finding a wall she could lean against. She shook her head to clear try to clear it, her reddish-orange bangs sweeping over her face. She pushed them back with a hoof then looked over the rest of the party she had joined who didn't look much better.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Sledge muttered as he looked like he was about to throw up.

"I'll get easier in time," Dark Sky reassured him, her breath sounding a bit labored. "I just need to get used to the spell.

"I think it's kinda fun!" Hammer remarked just before he tipped over.

"So where in Equestria are we?" Crimson Streak asked as she looked around at the dark walls around here. "Looks like some kind of mine or something."

"That's exactly what it is," Dark Sky clarified and began walking forward. "To be more specific the old mines of the Diamond Dogs."

"Wait, I've heard of them," Sledge spoke up as he followed behind her. "They're supposed to be pretty vicious gem hunters. Why would they just go an abandon a mine like this?"

"Don't know, don't care," the unicorn scoffed with a shake of her head. "All I know is that this is where we'll find the next Element."

"'Element'?" Crimson repeated then leaned over to whispered to Hammer, "What is she talking about?"

"I dunno, I'm barely paying attention to the boring stuff. I'm just waiting for the chance to get my hooves dirty," he explained.

"Uh huh," she nodded uncertainly.

Despite her growing doubts she continued to follow the other three ponies as they walked down the mine shaft, evenly spaced lamps providing enough light for them to see. As they walked further into the mine they could hear a soft rumbling in the distance. The fear of a cave in quickly left their minds when they realized it didn't sound like rocks tumbling and instead sounded more like...cheering. It grew louder and louder until they finally reached an open area of the mind where dozens of earth ponies sat in a large circle around a domed cage in the middle of the impromptu arena. Although none of them could see just yet, there were two ponies inside the cage knocking the hay out of each other.

"What is this place?" Sledge practically had to yell over the crowd's cheering and clapping.

"What the mines became!" Dark Sky answered. "A secret club where earth ponies come to test themselves in the cage in some rather brutal fights."

"I like it!" Hammer shouted happily.

"You would," Sledge muttered softly enough to not be heard.

"So _why_ are we here?" Crimson asked as she flew over the group so she could see past the crowd.

"For the one in the cage!" Dark Sky remarked.

"_Which_ one?"

The unicorn pushed her way through the crowd so she could accurately point out the fighter she was interested into the Pegasus who followed close behind her.

"Her!" she clarified.

Crimson looked into the cage again at the specific pony Dark Sky had pointed out and was a bit surprised to see a rather slender looking mare beating up a stallion nearly twice her size. She had a black coat with a dark red man and tail that nearly match Crimson's in color. Her eyes were a blood red color and shined with an almost untamed fury as she launched her hind legs at the stallion's face again. Her front legs were bound in white tape and the reason for that become abundantly clear when she turned around, stood up and started beating him mercilessly them. They also happened to match her Cutie Mark which was a pair of taped up hooves raised and ready to fight. From what Crimson could see that summed up this pony pretty well.

The mare in question let out an almost primal yell as she delivered another blow to the stallion's cheek which caused him to bounce off the cage's far left wall then fall to the ground in a heap. The arena grew deathly quite as the judge pony walked over to the side of the cage to see if the fallen stallion was still alive. After a quick poke elicited a small, pained groan the judge decided he was in fact alive.

"He's alive!" he announced to the audience. "And unconscious so the winner is once again Stampede!"

The crowd broke into another thunderous round of cheering and applause as Stampede stood on her hind legs again to raise her taped up forelegs above her head and let out a victory scream. She then went back to all fours so she could walk out of the cage where she was gently toweled off by some of the crew members who gave her all encouraging words.

"That was a great match Stampede! You really knocked that guy around," one of them remarked eagerly.

"Well that's what's gonna keep happening if they keep sending me all these wimps," she scoffed then walked over to the trough of water and took a few refreshing sips before she dunked her head in.

Once the throbbing in her head died down she pulled it out of the water and let her short, scruffy mane stick to her head as cooling, calming water continued to run down her face. Though this ritual never really did anything to sooth her anger, it did help her clear her mind after every fight so she could enter the cage fresh again. Unfortunately, this time her semi meditation was interrupted when four odd ponies walked up to her. Or at least two of them were odd for this place.

"Hey! No unicorns or Pegasi!" she growled at them. "This is for earth ponies only!"

"Oh trust me, I have no intention of fighting," Dark Sky waved off. "In fact, I've come here to make you an offer to get you out of this deary place where your talents are clearly being wasted."

Stampede studied her for a moment. "What kind of deal?"

"I asked the same thing but she's kind cryptic about it," Crimson spoke up.

"Wasn't talking to you, you feathered freak so zip it!" she snarled.

The Pegasus reeled back in shock of the overly aggressive tone but quickly sank to the ground and moved back behind Sledge a bit.

"Didn't want to talk to the psycho anyway," she mumbled under her breath.

"Don't pay any attention to her, she's still learning how everything works," Dark Sky advised the black pony.

"And how _does_ everything work in this little group of yours?" Stampede pressed. "I mean, what exactly are you talking about here?"

"I'm talking about getting into the biggest, toughest fights of your life. Fights with _real_ importance to them."

"Would I get to beat up on any Pegasi or unicorns during these fights?" she asked with an almost maniacal glee in her eyes.

That question seemed to catch Dark Sky off guard and even made her a bit nervous but she made sure it didn't show through.

"Actually if everything goes as I think it will there will be a time when you'll _have_ to fight a unicorn or a Pegasus. Probably a couple of them."

"Hah! I'm in!" Stampede agreed. A bit too eagerly for the unicorn's taste.

_Still, I'm going to need her, so it's best this goes smoothly,_ Dark Sky thought.

"Just one thing," the earth pony spoke up again.

"What's that?"

She seemed to ignore the question and walked right up to Hammer, glaring daggers at him.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" she snapped.

"What? _Me_? Staring? Noooo!" the larger earth pony tried to play innocent.

"Don't feed me that manure. I spotted you staring at me the second you walked in here!"

"I thought you were fighting," Hammer said nervously.

"I'm good at multitasking," she sneered. "So what's your deal, huh? Wanna fight?"

"No! Well...maybe. I just...kinda...um..."

"What?"

"I kinda like mares who would kick my flank," he revealed quietly, turning his head away.

The three gals of the group all stared at him in disbelief while Sledge gave a weary shake of his head.

"Trust me, it's sadly very true," he said with a slight sigh.

"Really?" Stampede asked with coy smirk.

Hammer merely nodded to which the smaller earth pony just chuckled then quickly spun around and planted her left hind hoof on square on his right cheek, knocking him off his feet. She laughed louder and winked at him before she moved back over to Dark Sky. Sledge looked down at his fallen friend in concern.

"You okay buddy?" he asked.

"I think I'm in love," Hammer said groggily.

"You need help," Sledge sighed with a roll of his blue eyes.

He helped his rather hopeless friend up then walked over to where Dark Sky stood with the rest of the slowly expanding group.

"So what do we do now?" Stampede asked the unicorn.

"Go find the next member of our little clique of course," Dark Sky replied with a slight smirk.

"Good thing you picked me then cause I know the quickest way back to the surface," the dark pony said proudly.

"Actually so do I."

Stampede looked a little confused at the remark until she noticed Dark Sky's horn beginning to glow. A slight sense of panic started to over take her and she tried to step away from the others but found herself unable to move any farther.

"Hey now wait a minute! I didn't agree to-" she started but her protest was cut off as they flashed out of existence.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"-this!" Stampede finished once they reappeared on the side of a mountain.

She then stumbled around from the disorientation of being suddenly displaced and nearly fell off the side of rather high cliff. She was able to keep her balance well enough to throw her weight to the other side and land on the jagged ground below her. She laid there for several seconds as she waited for the world to stop spinning.

"I _hate_ magic!" she barked bitterly.

"It's not my favorite thing right now either," Crimson groaned as she steadied herself against a tree.

"I thought you said this was going to get easier," Sledge grumbled to Dark Sky as his own head started to clear.

"It _will,_ but I keeping having to adjust for every new pony," she spat as she leaned against the ground in exhaustion.

Her haggard state didn't escape his notice.

"Are you _sure_ you're all right?" he asked, crouching down towards her.

"Just...give me a second," she told him.

He nodded then went to see how the others were doing. They all seemed to be suffering from the momentary dizziness of teleportation, but thankfully the effects passed rather quickly. When they were able to take in their surrounding more closely the saw that they were not only on a mountain side but they were right at the mouth of a fairly large cave. A fact that made Hammer start to shiver in fear.

"Th-that's a cave," he whimpered, pointing to the darkened entrance with a trembling hoof.

"Gee, did you figure that out all but yourself or did you need help?" Stampede mocked.

"I know what a cave is!" he snapped back. "I also know what lives _in_ caves! Dragons! Big, scary, eat ponies in one bite dragons! I'm not messing around with that!"

"I'm with Hammer on this one," Crimson quickly agreed. "I don't care _what_ you're promising it's not worth going up against a dragon over."

"That's good because there _isn't_ a dragon in here," Dark Sky reassure them with a bit of annoyance. "It's where we'll find the next pony we need."

"Are...are you sure?" Hammer asked hopefully.

"_Yes_ I'm sure! Now let's go!"

With that Dark Sky, Sledge and Stampede all started to walk into the cave but stopped when they realized neither Hammer or Crimson Streak were following them. They looked back to find the two still standing nervously outside at the entrance. Dark Sky let out a frustrated sigh then started to light up her horn so she could use her magic to _force_ the two inside, but she was stopped by a raise hoof from Stampede.

"Let me handle this," she offered.

The unicorn gave her an odd look but then shrugged and nodded for her to proceed. The earth pony nodded back then walked over to the two frightened ponies.

"Alright listen up you twits, you can either come in here where there may or may _not_ be a dragon or you could stay out here and deal with _me_. And you **know** _I'm_ here," she threatened.

The duo stared at her for a few seconds then looked at each other as they remembered what she did in the cage just a few short minutes ago. Their panicked expressions where now solely focused on the thoughts of what _she_ could do to _them_.

"We'll go!" the both said rather quickly.

"I thought so," Stampede smirked before she turned around and walked back into the cave, Hammer and Crimson following close behind her. She glanced up at Dark Sky as she came back, "Just gotta know how to talk to ponies like them is all."

The midnight blue unicorn just rolled her eyes and shook her head before she took the lead again and lead them further into the cave. Like the mineshaft, there were lamps placed along the walls to provide lighting and proofed that somepony lived there after all. At least Hammer and Crimson hoped it was somepony and not some _dragon_. Their fears were only magnified when they came upon a very _large_ collection of coins, gems and artifacts at the center of the cave. It was piled high enough that nopony in the group could see over it from where they stood so it was possible that _anything_ was on the other side.

"Are we _sure_ this isn't a dragon? Cause _that_ looks like a dragon's treasure pile!" Hammer remarked, his nervousness from earlier coming back.

"I already told you! There is. No. Dragon!" Dark Sky screamed in bitter annoyance.

"She's right! This isn't a dragon's treasure it's MINE!" a new voice called out angrily.

The assembled ponies all turned their heads in the direction the voice had come from and found another pony standing on top of the pile with a suspicious look on her face. She was a dark orange pony with long black mane and tail and eyes just a brighter orange than her coat that seemed to almost glow in the dim light of the cave. Her Cutie Mark was an open chest with treasure spilling out of it, not unlike the few chests half buried in the pile of coins and gems she was standing on.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my cave? Did you bring me anything good?" the orange earth pony demanded.

"Hi. My name's Dark Sky and in fact I _have_ brought you something," she greeted.

"What is it? Gimme gimme gimme!" the new pony cheered as she slide surprisingly gracefully down the pile to stop just in front of the group. "I want it now!"

"Whoa hold on there!" Dark Sky remarked, waving her front hooves in front of her. "It's not the kind of thing you can get now, but I can guarantee you it'll be worth your while."

The other pony stared at her as if she were crazy.

"You mean I have to _work_ for it?" she shouted in disbelief. "Never mind then. That's too hard. I like to just find things or take them. Or have them given to me."

"Sadly yes, you _will_ have to do some work for this but I can assure you that you're going to love it, Treasure Hunt," Dark Sky revealed with a sly smile.

Treasure Hunt, on the other hoof, looked confused and angry at the casual use of her name.

"How do you know my name?" she asked, staring accusingly at the unicorn. "I never told you my name! That's _my_ name and I don't like you using it!"

She then scoffed and started to climb her giant pile of treasure again. Stampede stared at her for a second before she leaned into whisper into Dark Sky's left ear.

"Are you _sure_ we need this loon?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Dark Sky whispered back with a soft sigh. She then took a few steps forward to try a different approach. "You're right, I'm sorry I used your name so casually. It was just hoping that perhaps we could be...friends?"

"Friends?" Treasure Hunt repeated, seeming to mull the idea over. She then shook her head. "Nope! Don't need friends! Just need my treasure."

"Everypony needs friends," the unicorn remarked with surprising sincerity.

"Why? All friends do are hurt you and try to take your stuff!" she spat back.

"Sometimes..." Dark Sky said softly then shook her head to focus more clearly. "But that's why you should join us. We can help you get more things for your collection."

"More things?" Treasure Hunt asked, suddenly intrigued. "How many more things?"

"More than you can imagine. Including one of the most rare objects in Equestria."

"Oh, I want that! And a castle! I've _always_ wanted a castle! Somewhere I can build a _huge_ collection! Can I have a castle? Please?"

"Umm..." Dark Sky staggered, taken a little aback by the pony's sudden enthusiasm. "Sure."

"Yay!" she cheered, clapping her hooves together. She then suddenly stopped and looked back at her collection. "But what about my stuff right now? I can't leave it here! Somepony might come along and take it! I took this stuff fair and square!"

"Well we can't take it _all_ with us," Dark Sky hesitated.

"And I'm not carrying any more boxes to stuff around. I _just_ quit that job and I'm _not_ going back to it!" Crimson said defiantly

"And even though I just met you, I don't really care for you so don't go asking _me_ for any help," Stampede told her.

"Same goes for us, right Sledge?" Hammer asked his friend.

"For once I'm going to agree with you," Sledge nodded.

"Awwww! Fine! I won't take it all. But I'm taking something!" Treasure Hunt insisted.

"Fine," Darky Sky sighed. "You can take _one_ thing."

"Oh! I know exactly what it is too. My most favorite prized possession."

With the she seemed to bound over the pile of treasure in a single leap. The other six ponies merely looked at each other in confusion and mild annoyance, well more then mild in Stampede's case, as they all waited for her to find whatever it was she was looking for. Seconds later she reappeared with a pair of saddle bags on her flanks as well as an orange colored lantern hanging from her mouth. She beamed proudly as she walked down the pile again to meet them.

"_That's_ you most prized possession?" Stampede scoffed. "A stupid lantern?"

"Yes! It's the first thing I ever got!" Treasure Hunt replied. "In fact I got my Cutie Mark when I got it and since then I've had the desire to get even more and more stuff."

"Yeah, _fascinating_," the black pony scoffed again with a roll of her red eyes then looked towards Dark Sky. "So can we go already?"

"Yes I think that's for the best," the unicorn agreed then stared to concentrate on the teleportation spell again.

"Wait!" Treasure Hunt suddenly called out.

"What now?" Dark Sky growled.

"I just remembered I _do_ have a way to protect my treasure when I'm not here. Follow me," she instructed.

The unicorn sighed but followed the orange earth pony nonetheless, the others trailing behind her. Not surprisingly they backtracked through the way they had come in until they were at the mouth of the cave again. Once outside, Treasure Hunt placed a hoof on a small rock right next to the entrance and pushed it down. The ground rumbled a bit as a large boulder next to the cave slowly slid over until it covered the mouth completely. The orange pony smiled around the lantern handle in her own mouth.

"There! All safe!" she mumbled.

"Good. Now if we could just-" Dark Sky started again but was caught off by Crimson Streak this time.

"There they are again!" she remarked as she flew upwards towards some black clouds floating just above the group and gave one a tentative poke. "What is with these things anyway? Where are they coming from?"

"Just leave them alone they're not important," the unicorn told her, trying to hide an embarrassed blush.

"Well it's _kinda_ important that the weather's doing stuff on it's own," she remarked.

"Of course a _Pegasus_ would be upset that the weather wasn't doing _exactly_ what it wanted it to," Stampede snarled softly though just loud enough to be heard.

"Hey what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Crimson snarled back, glaring at the irritable pony below.

"Why don't you come down here and I'll _show_ you what it means!"

"Better idea, why don't _you_ come up _here_?" the red Pegasus taunted back. "Oh wait, that's right, you can't! Haha!"

"ENOUGH!" Dark Sky screamed, surprising all of the group. "Crimson, get down here now! Stampede, shut up and get over here and before you ask _yes_ we're going to teleport again!"

"And just who are we trying to find this time?" Sledge asked, hoping to curtail another argument.

"Somepony who's great and powerful," she purred just before she blink them all away again.

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Notes: **Well once again this chapter got a bit longer than I thought it would 'cause of all the dialogue. I swear sometimes these ponies just won't shut up. But their dialogue is always fun to write so I don't really mind. Just hope it's as much fun to read.

Course in the process of splitting this up I _do_ have to forgo my planned route that moment of doing a chapter with the mane cast and then my OCs and back and fourth as I really want to get the introduction of the Discord ponies out of the way first. So in the next chapter we'll get to meet the last two ponies and finally find out which Elements they are and what Dark Sky's ultimate goal is. Anyone guesses on just what that might be? Probably kinda obvious but still I always like to see if people can guess where my stuff is going. It's fun to see.

Again I have not much else to say here so I won't ramble on too much longer other than to throw down a list of V.A.s for my ponies to try to help you all "hear" them that much more clearly. I've already said who I pictured for Dark Sky, Sledge and Hammer so now it's time for the rest:

Crimson Streak-Kelly Sheridan

Stampede-Cree Summer

Treasure Hunt-Wendee Lee

If you're not sure of the names a quick IMDB search should clear it up. I'd put a few examples up there but I'm never quite sure who's seen what and putting ALL of them up there would probably turn this thing into a 30 page chapter for some of those people. Let's just say they're all very talented actresses and I would _love_ to have any of them speak the lines I've written. Though I know that'll never happen. SIGH.

Still hope you all enjoyed getting to see some of the Elements of Discord and that you'll be back here to see the other two. Even if I _did_ give away who the next one will be rather bluntly. But I just couldn't resist that ending hook.

Til then!


	5. The Missing Pieces

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

**The Elements of Discord**

**Chapter 5: The Missing Pieces **

Manehattan is heralded as not only one of the greatest cities in all of Equestria but also a place where ponies down on their luck can come to start over again. A chance to build a new life and escape the problems of their pasts. But for some ponies, the past refuses to leave them alone even in this city of dreams.

This was true for one such pony who was pacing nervously backstage at a small theater. She didn't used to be nervous before her shows. In fact, she used to just spring her shows up wherever she wanted with her traveling caravan and would let the masses come to her. And oh how they should show up to witness her spectacular feats of magic like none had ever seen before! She was a star! What was famous! She was great and powerful!

But all that changed a few short months ago thanks to a stop in that accursed Ponyville. Some of her more...overly devoted and less intelligent fans had awoken an Ursa Minor from it's slumber so they could see her banish it just as she had an Ursa Major from Hoofington.

Or at least that's what she _told_ them she did. It was just a little white lie, nothing that was hurting anyone. A stage exaggeration to make her show even more compelling and awe-inspiring. How was _she_ supposed to know there was an Ursa cave around there, let alone that two idiots would go and awake one up? And she did _try_ to banish it, she really did but she just didn't have the magical power necessary to do it. She didn't think _any _unicorn did!

Then that annoying Twilight Sparkle came along showed that there _was_ a unicorn powerful enough to banish one. Worst of all she showed _her_ up in front of everypony! While she got away from the incident physically unharmed, her reputation was shot. No matter where she went, it seemed like everypony had heard of her humiliating defeat. She just couldn't get away from that _one_ past mistake! It was like it was haunting her!

But not anymore! Now that she was in Manehattan she was determined to start again! To build up her reputation once more and show that she truly _was_ great and powerful! Even if she did have to start in a small theater like this playing to tiny crowds, she knew her talent and grace would soon take her all the way back to the top!

"Yes!" she cried out from just behind the curtain. "No more wallowing in self pity! No more second guessing myself. It's time for me to make my grand return to the stage!"

Her horn started to glow under her star filled wizard's hat as she used just a bit of her awesome magic power to address the audience on the other side of the red velvet curtain.

"Filly and gentlecolts, prepare yourselves for unbelievable feats of magic as you have _never_ witnessed before! Feats that will live you breathless in wonder and amazement! Get ready to behold the spectacle that is the Great and Powerful-"

She threw the curtain back before she leapt forward onto the stage amid a stream of carefully place sparks.

"-Tri...xie," her tone quickly deflated when she looked out across at the "audience".

She had already known the theater was small and wouldn't hold the _massive_ crowd that would normally show up for her performance so she had prepared herself to play to a smaller audience. What she _hadn't_ prepared for would just _how_ small this audience would be. She counted just about ten ponies scattered throughout the 200 seat theater and none of them seemed too exited by her introduction. In fact she only heard one pair of hooves clap rather half excitedly, but that quickly stopped when some of the other audience members glare at the offending pony.

Trixie stood dumbfounded for a few seconds before she realized they were staring at her expectantly. She shook her head to clear her muddled thoughts and a look of determination crossed her face.

_Right. Show must go on and all that. I'll just make sure I put on an amazing performance to lure more ponies in tomorrow night,_ she thought resolutely.

Her mind made up, her usual air o f superiority returned to her as she smirked and addressed the...intimate audience once again.

"Yes gentle ponies, get ready to jump out of your seats in amazing as you witness the outstanding magical prowess of the Great and Powerful-"

"Trixie!" one of the ponies in the audience called out.

The light blue unicorn on stage fell back on all fours, her purple stared cape gently laying down on her hunches as she did so. She glared daggers as the pony who would _dare _interrupt her.

"Yes, Trixie was just about to finish introduce herself when she was so _rudely_ interrupted by _somepony,_" she said in an annoyed tone as she continued to glare at him.

"Oh I know who you are," the pony mostly hidden in shadows spoke bravely. "You were the one that couldn't top an Ursa Major...or wait Minor from almost destroying Ponyville."

Trixie gasped in horror at the recalling of the event that had come to define her very existence.

_How? How do they keep finding out about _that_?_ She thought bitterly.

Outwardly, she did her best to keep her composure and even clear her throat regally before speaking again.

"Those stories are _gross_ exaggerations by jealous little ponies designed to tarnish the spotless reputation of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" she informed them.

"Then how come you're playing to a bored crowd in some dinky little theater!" another voice called out from the darkness.

"I..." she stammered, unable to quickly come up with an excuse.

It didn't help her floundering confidence when nearly the rest of the audience agreed with him with a resounding "Yeah!" she echoed off the nearly bare walls and empty seats of the theater. Trixie backed up slowly at the familiar feeling of the audience turning on her. This had been happening everywhere she went. Somepony would bring up that incident and then the rest of them would join in, usually hurling insults, and sometimes fruit, at her as they stood up and walked away. All because of one mistake. One..._pony_ that had shown her up.

_This is all that Twilight Sparkle's fault! _she reasoned. _One day I'll make her pay for humiliating me! But for now I have to get this crowd under control. I _have_ to show them that I _am_ great and powerful once again! But how?_

The answer to her question came in the from of one lone red pony in a doctor's coat that was seated in the middle of the audience. As the others continued to jeer at her, he placed his front two hooves on either side of his mouth to help project his voice towards her.

"Don't listen to them! The magic is in your heart! Just perform and you'll be amazing!" he encouraged her.

A smile, thankful smile appeared on her face just before it was replaced with the usual smirk of superiority she had whenever on stage.

"You're right! Trixie is all powerful and all great after all!" she shouted over the crowd, which seemed to settle them down for a bit. "Now be quite my little ponies so you can watch and be amazed!"

With that, her horn started to glow under her hat while she waved her right hoof around in font of her in an elaborate way. A small bubble of energy appeared in front of her and soon enough of it came a bouquet of long stemmed roses. She smiled as she reached out an wrapped a hoof around them as if they had been presented to her by an admiring stallion. While she was pleased with this opening trick of hers, the crowd seemed less than impressed.

"That's it?" the heckler from before called out. "That's impressive that's just stupid! Booo! Booooo!"

The rest of the small audience quickly joined in, booing her loudly as they stomped on the floor in anger. The doctor coated pony who had encouraged her seemed put off by this weak display.

"Your magic's bad and you should feel bad!" he yelled at her.

At first, Trixie stared in horror and disbelief at the crowd turning on her so quickly, but then her brow furrowed in anger over the fact that this scene had become far too familiar for her in recent months. She dropped the flowers and stomped to the edge of the stage to glare coldly at the ponies who would _dare_ disrespect her! She has put up with this long enough and it was time for it to stop _right now_!

"You want magic?" she asked, in an overly sweet, innocent tone that quickly became harsh and bitter with her next sentence. "Then I'll show you some _real_ magic!"

Again, her horn lit up, shining brightly even though her hat. Several of the empty seats in the theater started to shake violently before they were ripped from their foundations and flew around the room. The audience screamed and horror and galloped away as quickly as they could when the chairs started to fly towards them.

"That's right run! Run and tell all who you see not to even _dare_ to mock the Great and Powerful Trixie!" she commanded in a booming voice.

The bravado faded, however, once the room was emptied. She let chairs fall back haphazardly to the floor, the loud crashing sounds barely effecting her as she hung her head sadly and slunk backstage to her dressing room. She didn't even bother to close the door before she walked up to the mirrored desk and started to thrash the small objects off it in a fit of self loathing rage. She screamed hysterically as she continued to throw objects around the room for another minute or so before she finally slumped over the desk and stared sorrowfully at her reflection.

"I choked. _Again_!" she chided the worn, tired face in the mirror. "Why? Why does this keep happening to me? Why can't everypony just forget about that stupid Ponyville incident and let me put on a wonderful show again?"

"Oh, I don't know, I thought tonight's performance was pretty wonderful," a voice remarked from her doorway.

Trixie turned around in shock and outrage to find a group of six ponies standing in the hallway, with a dark blue unicorn already halfway in the room.

"Who _dares_ come to disturb the Great and Powerful Trixie?" she demanded.

"Oh goodie, another pony that refers to themselves in the third pony," Crimson Streak remarked sarcastically.

Dark Sky ignored both her and Trixie's comments as she walked closer to the other unicorn.

"I particularly liked the part where you threw though chairs at those ponies that heckled you. That was nice," she mused with an almost sadistic smirk. "You've certainly got potential, but you're still nowhere near _my_ league."

Trixie baulked indignantly at that statement.

"Listen here..._you_," she spat. "I'll have you know that the Great and Powerful Trixie is-"

"A lie!" Dark Sky cut her off, stepping even closer. "It's all lie. Well, maybe not _all_ of it, as I said you do have some very impressive magical powers, but you waste them on silly stage shows to boost your ego. And in doing so you've gotten completely caught up in your own hype. You can lie to those silly ponies out there. You can even lie to yourself. But you can't. Lie. To. Me."

She stepped forward with each emphasized word until she and Trixie where nearly nose-to-nose while Trixie herself was pressed up against the desk from where she tried to back away from this rather...intense pony.

"W-who are you?" she asked softly.

"Oh that's right, I didn't introduce myself, did I?" the other unicorn remarked off hoofedly. "Sorry about that, I'm Dark Sky and these are my associates; Sledge, Hammer, Crimson Streak, Stampede and Treasure Hunt."

She pointed to each one of them in turn as they stepped into the room, quickly filling the small space up. Trixie's bewilderment continued as she looked over the unusual group and tried to come up with some reason for why exactly they were there. When she couldn't, she decided to take the easiest route.

"What do you want with me?" she asked Dark Sky.

"Why just for you to join our little group is all," she replied a bit sweetly.

"Why would I do that?"

"I think the better question is why _wouldn't_ you do it?" Dark Sky asked before she turned around and took a few steps back to admire the room. "I mean if you really _are_ happy playing in such a small, rundown place then I suppose we could just leave." She turned back round rather dramatically when she started her next sentence. "But if you come with us, I can show you what _true_ power is all about. Let you play on the _grandest_ stage of all; the world!"

Trixie still stared at her skeptically.

"And why would you want to do that for me?" she asked.

"Because I need your help with just one small favor first. Just like I need to help of these other ponies here," Dark Sky revealed, motioning towards the rest of the group. "But I promise you the reward is well worth the risk." She paused and took another step towards the other unicorn again. "Really stop and think about this for a moment and truly ask yourself what exactly you would be giving up if you left here?"

Trixie bit her lip and looked away as she _did_ stand there and truly think of what she would give up if she left. What _was_ actually keeping her here? The chance to start over again? The chance to maybe, _hopefully_, rebuild her reputation as a great magician? But how was she doing this? By putting on shows in nearly dive theaters to ungrateful crowds who booed her before she even got a chance to really start her show? _That's_ what she was staying here for?

When she sat there and actually thought about it, it _did_ seem rather...pathetic. And the one thing she vowed she would never be in her life was pathetic. If this unicorn was offering her a chance to change her life, _truly_ change it, then she had no choice _but_ to accept. For her own piece of mind if for no other reason.

Her resolve strengthened, she looked back into Dark Sky's dark purple eyes and nodded.

"All right, I'll go with you," she promised.

A smirk played across the other unicorn's face at the news.

"I had a feeling you would," she replied.

"Just let me get a few of my-hey!" Trixie shouted as she turned towards a cabinet in the room only to find Treasure Hunt placing various bottles and items into her own saddle bags.

"I'll take this," she remarked as she stowed another potion flask. "And this, and this and one of those..."

"Hey! Stop that! Those are my things!" Trixie chided as she stomped over to the orange Earth pony.

"Not anymore! I found them so they're mine!" Treasure Hunt spat back, before placing a small book into her right saddle bag.

Trixie used her magic to pull it, as well as her other items, out of the bags and place them back on the shelves.

"Hey, gimmie back my stuff!" the earth pony cried out desperately.

"You keep your grubby little hooves of _my_ things!" she shot back.

As they continued to bicker back and fourth, Crimson Streak snorted before she walked over to Dark Sky to whisper into her ear.

"_Great_ team you're putting together here," she snickered.

"Shut up!" Dark Sky shot back in annoyance.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The Everfree Forest is a place of almost perpetual darkness. Nopony knows whether this constant darkness is a product of the thick tree branches crossing over the forest or the remnants of something else that happened a long time ago. Whatever the case, very little light shines into that dreaded place so when a bright flash of light suddenly _did_ appear in one spot, it sent all the wild and dangerous animals scurrying away in fear. Had they stayed they might have noticed the seven startled and dazed ponies appearing out of that flash. They stumbled around for a few seconds, all trying to get their bearings again.

"Seriously, when does this 'easier' part come in?" Sledge asked in a snarky manner.

"Soon. Soon, just...need more practice," Dark Sky reassured him again through labored breath.

"You shouldn't do spells you're not prepared for," Trixie advised.

"Like I need lessons in magic from _you_!" the other unicorn spat venomously.

"Well _obviously_ you do or you wouldn't be making such amateurish mistakes," the newest addition to the team remarked as she titled her head up a bit.

Dark Sky growled and looked like she was about lunge for Trixie, but was stopped by a hoof placed on her shoulder. She looked behind her to see Sledge gently shaking his head at her. She glared at him for a few seconds, but finally relented with a soft sigh and relaxed a bit.

"So where are we anyway?" Crimson Sky asked as she flew around the area. "Looks pretty messed up."

"The Everfree Forest!" Hammer shouted in horror as he hid behind Stampede as best he could.

For her part, Stampede just sighed and kicked him away with her left hind leg.

"Foal," she muttered to herself.

"So _why_ are we here? To find some new stuff? 'Cause I _do_ like new stuff," Treasure Hunt said though the mouthful of lantern handle.

"Wait, lemme guess, we're finding _another_ pony here, right?" Stampede asked as she waked over to Dark Sky.

"Yes. She should be up the path just a bit," the unicorn told her.

"Then what are we waitin' for? Let's get going!" Crimson Streak said before she flew off.

"Wait!" Dark Sky called after her.

Crimson sighed then flew back over towards the group to give their "leader" an annoyed look.

"What?" she called back.

"It's _this_ way," the unicorn remarked nonchalantly as she pointed straight in front of her.

The Pegasus just blinked in embarrassment.

"I-I knew that," she muttered before she flew off in the right direction.

"Suuuuure you did," Stampede rolled her eyes before she started off as well.

The other ponies followed suit and soon Dark Sky as back in front of the group to lead them towards the last remaining member of their party. Not that the others knew this was the final member of course. That was something only Dark Sky herself knew and would only share with the others when they _needed_ to know. Which could be very soon.

_Yes. Soon. Soon it'll all come to...light._

She smirked a bit at the intentional irony of that statement but it faded when she heard an odd sound up ahead of them. The group stopped and looked around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from and importantly what it was.

"What is that?" Trixie asked.

"Is it a monster?" Hammer asked, shaking slight again. "I _knew_ this place was full of monsters! I told you!"

"It's not a monster Hammer!" Sledge chided his friend, adding a small smack on the back of the head for emphasis.

"No it's not. I know that sound. That's the sound of something in pain," Stampede clarified with an almost gleeful expression in her eyes.

"Hey girls...and guys, it's over here!" Crimson Streak called out, pointing behind a bush just in front of them.

Dark Sky used her magic to uproot the bush and toss it aside so they could see what was making that terrible crying sound. What was they saw was a small rabbit trying to hop away but it's back right leg was bent at an unnatural angle and it screamed in pain every time it tried to move. While it certainly was hard to watch, it wasn't the most unnerving thing about the scene in front of them. That honor went to the pale white Pegasus sitting calmly in front of the injured bunny. Her pink eyes peaked out from the bangs of her short blue mane and seemed practically emotionless as she watched the poor creature suffer. In fact that only signs of any emotion they could see on her was just the very hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. The whole scene was a little disturbing and seemed to lend credence to her Cutie Mark being just a black heart shaped outline.

The seven ponies continued to start at the scene for several more seconds in stunned silence as they just took in the scene. Finally, Trixie seemed to break out of the daze they were all in and rushed forward to the bunny's side.

"What is wrong with you? Can't you see the poor thing's hurt?" she screamed at the Pegasus.

"Of course. I know. I'm the one who hurt it," she revealed in a very soft, calm voice that seemed even more emotionless than her face.

"_You_ did? Why would you ever want to do something like that?"

It was then that smile on her face grew just slightly bigger so that it was clearly visible and for reasons she couldn't understand that made Trixie even more uneasy. Not just uneasy, it downright frightened her.

"Because causing pain in others is the only thing that's ever brought me any big of happiness," the Pegasus revealed, again just a slight hint of emotion in her voice that was more unnerving then her emotionless tone.

"And _that's_ just the kind of attitude I'm looking for for my little group here," Dark Sky said proudly as she walked over to the winged pony.

"It is?" Trixie asked, more to herself than her new "leader".

"Yes, indeed it is," the other unicorn nodded again before turning back to the white Pegasus. "So now tell me...um..."

"Heartless," she answered.

"_Of course_ that's her name," Trixie muttered in disgust with a roll of her eyes.

"Heartless," Dark Sky nodded in approval. "Would you be interested in joining our merry band of ponies?"

Heartless looked back at the rest of the group that was still standing a few feet away from her with disinterested eyes before she turned her attention back to the unicorn directly in front of her.

"Not really," she answered.

Dark Sky frowned. That wasn't the answer she was looking forward.

"What if I told you that by joining use you'd be able to inflict all kind of pain and misery on _all _the ponies in Equestria?" she asked again, taking a step forward.

"What?" Trixie shouted in surprise, turning her attention away from the bunny. "You didn't say anything about _that_ to _me_?"

"Because _you_ didn't need to know!" Dark Sky shot back, glaring daggers at the other unicorn before she turned her attention back to Heartless. "So what do you say?"

This time she seemed to mull the proposal over a bit.

"_All_ of Equestria?" she asked.

"Oh yes," Dark Sky nodded.

"Fine," she agreed, her voice going back to it's emotionless monotone. "But only because of that. I really had no interest in what else you have planned."

"No I didn't think you would, but having a professional relationship works out just fine for me," Dark Sky smiled before she looked back at the rest of her team. "That's it! We have all the ponies we need now so we can head back to the castle deep in the forest here."

"Why?" Stampede asked.

"Because it's there that I'll show you exactly why I need all of you and what our glorious things our collaboration will bring about."

"You're not going to teleport us again are you?" Sledge asked wearily.

"No, no I'm not. The castle's only a few miles from here and I don't want to waste my energy on a trip that short," Dark Sky informed him.

"A few _miles_?" Treasure Hunt screamed in horror, dropping the orange lantern in her mouth. "But I'm _tired_! I won't want to walk all that way. My hooves will get sore and muddy and this lantern's getting heavy to carry."

Stampede snorted in annoyance then turned towards the orange earth pony.

"Then why don't you take your stupid lantern and put it on one of your stupid saddle bags before _I_ put it somewhere _else_ where there's no light?" she snapped.

"Where would that...?" Treasure Hunt started to asked but her eyes widened when she figured it out. "Oooooh. Oh. Well...that's just rude."

"Just do it!" the black pony snapped again.

Treasure Hunt jump a bit in fright but then quickly compiled with Stampede's wishes and placed the lantern in her right saddle bag. The black earth pony nodded then walked over to where Dark Sky stood.

"So we goin' or what?" she demanded.

"Yes. I think it's about time I let you all in on my little secret," the unicorn said with a smirk.

"Wait!" Trixie called out to them.

"What?" Stampede, her annoyance quickly returning.

"What about the bunny?" the light blue unicorn asked as she pointed to the helpless creature in front of her. "We can't just leave the poor thing like this. We should get it some help."

"Oh yes! Help! Then it can get healthy again and it can be my pet!" Treasure Hunt said, gleefully clapping her front hooves together. "I already wanted a pet bunny when I was a filly but my parents already said I had too many pets. Can you believe that?"

"Well _my_ parents tossed me out into the middle of the woods and told me to survive. Can you believe _that_?" Stampede snarled as she walked over to Treasure Hunt and pressed her face against the other earth pony's.

"Ummm...well...kinda..." Treasure Hunt stammered.

Stampede turned away from her in disgust then walked over to where the still twitching and crying bunny lay.

"As for this thing, I know what to do with it," she remarked, an evil smile on her face.

Trixie watched in horror as the earth pony lifted up her front right hoof right over the bunny's head. She turned her own head away and closed her eyes just in time to hear a sickening squishy crunch sound fill the still air. When she dared to look against she saw Stampede wiping something off her hoof and the tip of the tape wrapped around it stained red.

"There. Problem solved," she declared then walked back over to Dark Sky.

The others followed suit, leaving Trixie as the odd pony out as she stayed behind just long enough to wonder if perhaps she had once again gotten in over her head.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The rest of the walk through the Everfree Forest was surprisingly silent save for the sounds of creatures scurrying behind the trees and bushes. The ponies themselves rather spoke to each other and instead focused mostly just walking forward with seven of them wondering just what this unusual unicorn how had come so abruptly into their lives had in mind. Or why they even agreed to go with her in the first place. They could have all said "No" but for some reason they didn't. Almost like they _couldn't_. Like something they weren't aware of was drawing them all together like magnets.

Thankfully the answers to their questions would soon be answered as they entered the broken down castle and Dark Sky led them down into it's bowels to a room full of strange and ancient looking artifacts. Of course this room wasn't a big deal to Sledge and Hammer as they had been there just a few hours earlier but for the rest of them it was quite a sight. Especially Treasure Hunt who's eye practically began to glow in anticipation of what all she could take. She just hoped she had big enough saddle bags to carry them all.

"No!" Dark Sky warned her, as if she read her thoughts.

"Awwww," the orange pony whined, hanging her head. "I just wanted to take a few things. Just some things for my own collection. I just like having things for me, is that so selfish?"

"I believe that's the definition of selfish," Crimson Streak joked.

"Exactly right," Dark Sky spoke up again, drawing their attention. "But you can't blame her, she's the Element of Selfishness after all."

"That what of what?" Treasure Hunt asked. "I'm not one of those things. Even if I was I'd be one of the Awesomeness cause that's what I am, awesome. Ponies _wish_ they were as awesome as me!"

"Are you sure she's not the Element of Annoyance?" Stampede retorted.

Treasure Hunt just stuck her tongue out at her in response.

"Oh no, I'm sure. Just as I'm sure what the rest of you are," Dark Sky said, taking her place in the middle of a ring of stones.

"What are _those_ things?" Crimson Streak asked, pointing to the round rocks.

"Whatever they are they seem...ancient," Trixie mused. "And like that _used _to have magic to them. I can get some kind very, very faint aura."

"That's because they were burnt out long ago," Dark Sky started to explain. "But their power didn't _quite_ burn out, it just got...transferred."

"To what?" Trixie asked.

"Not to what, to whom."

"Us," Heartless spoke barely above a whisper.

"That's right," Dark Sky nodded. "For you, my dear ponies, are the living embodiments of the Elements of Discord! The polar opposites to the Elements of Harmony!" she declared in grand fashion, standing on her hind legs and spreading her front hooves wide for dramatic effect.

Unfortunately, it was met with confused stares.

"Really?" she blurted out in surprise and annoyance as she landed on her front hooves again. "_None_ of you have heard of the Elements of Harmony?"

They all shook their heads at once.

"Hammer? You? Nothing? You've heard all sorts of other stories!" she chided him.

"Sorry boss, never heard of this one," he replied with a shake of his head.

"Wait..." Trixie muttered, rubbing her chin in thought. "Trixie thinks she's heard of this now. Yes, yes her mother used to read her bed time stories of the Elements of Harmony being used to defeat Nightmare Moon and turn her into the Mare in the Moon!"

"Exactly!" Dark Sky called out excitedly, her face brightening. "That's _exactly_ what happened! But what you don't know is that there were another set of elements that acted as a counter balance to The Elements of Harmony."

"Lemme guess, The Elements of Discord," Stampede said unenthusiastically.

"Yes!"

"And we're somehow them...what? Reborn? Reincarnated?" Crimson Streak asked, still trying to wrap her head around the concept.

"Something like that," Dark Sky nodded. "You are all living vessels for the elements. You my dear Crimson Streak are the Element of Treachery."

"Hey! That's a bit harsh isn't it?" she shot back. "I mean, yeah I kind of go behind ponies backs to get ahead but who here hasn't done that, right?"

She received blank stares in return save for Hammer who started to raise his right hoof in agreement before Sledge smacked it back down.

"Regardless of what you think, that's what you _are_," Dark Sky informed her. "Just as the Great and Powerful Trixie here is the Element of Dishonesty."

"'Dishonesty'?" she shouted indignantly. "Trixie assures you she is always true to her word!"

"Really? So how did that whole thing with that Ursa Minor go, hhmm?" the other unicorn asked with a smug expression.

Trixie's eyes widened at the cutting remark before she hung her head low in shame.

"There? See? Dishonest even with her self. But that's what's going to help us," Dark Sky noted then looked over at Treasure Hunt, "I already told you, you are the Element of Selfishness."

"Hey! Looking out for one's self isn't selfishness it's just smart!" she challenged. "And just because I want stuff doesn't make me selfish 'cause I'm entitled to it."

Dark Sky let out a tried sigh before she looked wearily over at Stampede and Heartless. "Let me guess, you two are going to object to being the Elements of Anger and Cruelty aren't you?"

"Well Anger or Cruelty fits me but I'm guessing I'm Anger, huh?" Stampede asked.

Dark Sky nodded.

"Works for me."

"I have no objections to being labeled cruel," Heartless added. "In fact I think it's most fitting."

"Well at least _that's_ something," the ancient pony remarked.

"What about us? What are we?" Hammer asked.

"You two don't have elements, you're just here to help us bring about the downfall of Celestia and her 'glorious empire of the sun'."

"So we're hired help basically," Sledge interrupted.

"Basically, yes."

"Well, least our lives are the same then," he remarked.

"Aaaaw, I wanted a cool Element too," Hammer sulked.

"What do you mean 'the downfall of Celestia'?" Trixie asked.

"Yeah, that's the second time you said something like that," Crimson Sky remarked. "What's up with that? And if _we're_ all Elements does that make _you_ one too?"

"Of course. I am the Element that brings you all together, the counter balance to the sixth Element of Harmony," Dark Sky started to explained.

"But there were only five elements in the story," Trixie countered.

"In the _story_ yes, there were only five. But in reality there are six. The sixth being magic."

"So what are you then?" Stampede asked.

"I am the Element of Curses. Black magic," she revealed.

"Still unclear on what we're all doing here," Crimson Streak reminded her.

"It's quite simple my little ponies, for with our powers combined we _will_ bring down Celestia by bringing about the resurrection of Nightmare Moon!"

A surprisingly well time clap of thunder struck outside the castle at Dark Sky's revelation as she herself descended into a fit of maniacal laughter. The other ponies looked around at themselves, unsure of all but one thing; whatever happened from this moment fourth, their lives, and probably the lives of every pony in Equestria, would never be the same again.

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Notes:** Well to the surprise of _no one _I'm sure, Dark Sky's plan has finally been revealed; the resurrection of Nightmare Moon! I originally wanted this to be a surprise but I realized I gave some hints away in the second chapter. 'Course it was one of those times where it was story vs plot. Plot wise, yes it would have been better to keep Dark Sky's previous association with Nightmare Moon a secret, but story wise, and importantly character wise, there would be no reason she _wouldn't_ react to seeing the spectral form of Nightmare Moon in front of her and then defeated. So I just had to go with it and keep the whole thing as vague as I could. Course her _exact_ association with the Mare in the Moon is still vague so I hope that will lead to some surprises in the next chapter when I reveal Dark Sky's past.

Now as for this chapter I realize that Heartless was the quickest assimilation into the group, but she's really not one to put up a fight about it. She really doesn't care about Dark Sky's plan she just wanted to spread as much cruelty and suffering as she can. Obviously her element has taken her over the most. Which will be fun to play with in later chapters. As with the others I do have a voice actress in mind for her and that is the very talented Amanda Winn Lee of Neon Genesis Evangelion fame. And like most voice actors a whole bunch of stuff I can't list here. But she's really good.

'Course I shouldn't have to mention who Trixie's VA is as she's already been in the show! That decision was made a call back to that ep and to have at least on canon pony on this team. Plus she WAS dishonest in her bragging so it fits. It's also a good way to sell these ponies as really kind bad since _Trixie_ of all ponies is creeped out by them. Give that a thought.

Well next time we'll check back in with Twilight to see how her meeting with Celestia goes and as I said go back 1,000 years into Equestria's past to see how it will shape the events to come...


	6. The Seeds of the Future

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

**The Elements of Discord**

**Chapter 6: The Seeds of the Future, Lay Buried in the Past**

Everywhere Luna looked there was darkness. Not the same kind of darkness that embodied the moonlit, star draped nights she took so much care in crafting. No this was a different kind of darkness. There were no stars. There was no moon. All around her was just... blackness. A cold, empty blackness that chilled her to her very soul. Worst of all, this blackness felt very familiar. It was a sensation she had only once in her long lifetime but it was enough to make sure she _never_ wanted to feel it again. Particularly with how long it had lasted. Nopony could truly appreciate how long a thousand years really was unless they had lived through it. Worse yet, lived through it in a cold, black void completely alone.

"Oh but my dear Luna, you were _never_ alone," a voice dripping with venom practically purred behind her.

Luna's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat as a cold shiver of fear ran through her entire body at the sound of the voice. Of _that_ voice.

"No," she gasped quietly. "That's not possible. It can't be you."

"Oh but it can. And it is! Or are you still too afraid to face me even after all this time?" the voice mocked gleefully.

Steeling her nerves, Luna dug her hind heels into the blackness around her and quickly spun around them to come face-to-face with...

"Nightmare Moon!" she called out in a mix of fear and anger.

The tall, armored mare smirked sinisterly as her star field mane and tail slithered around her like a pair of snakes prepared to strike. She stepped closer to the surprised pony then leaned down so their faces were mere inches apart and let out of a soft chuckle.

"So you _do_ remember me after all. How charming," Nightmare Moon remarked before she pulled back.

"You can't be here! You were destroyed!" Luna shouted desperately.

"Destroy? No. Merely... pushed back," the larger equine corrected as she started to slowly circle her other half. "Did you really think those fools could ever truly destroy me? Why even our dear sister and original bearers of the Elements of Harmony couldn't destroy us. They merely banished us to our glorious moon. A place that _should_ have been our home but become our prison."

"_Your_ prison!" Luna corrected. "I was already trapped inside you while you did those horrible things."

"Things that _you_ yourself wanted to do," Nightmare retorted, again shoving her face into Luna's. "Or have you so deluded yourself into forgetting that I _am_ you!"

"No you're not! You're just a mistake I made a long time ago. I was being too selfish and bitter to think straight and got caught in my own delusions."

"And in doing so you turned to forces you didn't fully understand," she mused, continuing her circle. "You wanted to be bigger. Stronger. More powerful. Able to stand hoof to hoof with your big sister. And so with the help of your one friend, your _only_ friend, you turned to Elements of Discord and became the one thing you always wanted to become; ME!" she declared triumphantly as she came to stand in front of Luna once again.

"No! No, no, no!" the younger pony denied vehemently as she shook her head wildly. "I _never_ wanted to be you! I just wanted other ponies to like me! To respect the hard work I put into my nights like they did my sister's days. I _didn't_ want to block out the sun! I _didn't_ want night to last forever! Most of all I _didn't_ want to be evil!" she continued to scream, lowering herself to the ground of the blackness as tears started to well up in her eyes. "All I _ever_ really wanted was to not be alone..."

Nightmare's sneer softened just slightly at the sight of her other self sniffling before her. It disgusted her to see her like this, but she understood what the pony was feeling. After all, she _was_ her and it was exactly these feelings that lead to her own creation. Still, she didn't have to be so pathetic about it!

"But you _weren't_ alone Luna. You _had_ a friend, remember?" she asked.

Luna sniffled just a bit and picked her head back up in remembrance.

"That's right. Dark Sky. She was an outcast like me. So we became friends and..." she recalled and the smile she had started to form faded with that last bit of memory flooding back.

"And with your determination and her magical powers you both sought the Elements of Discord and used them on yourself to become me," Nightmare reminded her, her own evil grin returning. "And guess what Luna? Sky's coming back. I've seen to that. Soon you two shall be reunited once again. But I do hope you'll make the best of your time because she's also going to be using the _new_ Elements of Discord to free me from this mental prison and then _I _will take us all back to where were should be as the rightful rulers of Equestria!"

Nightmare Moon's laugh seemed to echo in the darkness all around them. A horrified expression crossed over Luna's face at the mad mare's threat.

"No! No I won't allow you to do that! I won't let you get free again! I won't let you hurt Sky again! I-"

"WON'T!" Luna shouted as she sat up in her bed.

She breathed heavily for a moment to regain her bearings. Sweat dripped down from her forehead and when she finally realized she was actually in her bed she noticed the sheets and pillows had been thrown all over the place.

"A dream?" she asked herself in uncertainty. "Yes, that's all it was. A dream. A...nightmare. Just-just old anxieties. But why now? I thought I was done having dreams about Nightmare Moon. And why did I suddenly remember Sky? She can't still be..."

She gasped as very hazy memory started to become slightly clearer in her mind. It was when she was first defeated as Nightmare Moon those thousand years ago. Just as the rainbow beam ensnared her and her sister threatened to lock her in the moon, she heard Dark Sky's cry of anguish and could just see her friend turning to stone out of the corner of her eye before the whole world became black. She had thought she had just been seeing things or not remembering them clearly. But what if she was mistaken? What if that _did_ truly happen? And what if Nightmare did have enough power to contact her and break Sky free of her own prison? Then that would mean...

She was startled out of her thoughts by a gentle knocking on her door. She shook her head to try to clear it before she got out of bed and started to walk over to the large, highly decorated double doors.

"Who is it?" she asked softly.

"It's me Luna," her sister's voice called back calmly. "Somepony thought they heard you screaming and I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Yes. Yes I'm fine 'Tia. It was just a night-bad dream," she corrected herself.

"Oh," Celestia's voice remarked from the other side. "Well if you need to talk about anything I'd be more than happy to listen."

"Thank you but...I'm-I'm fine," Luna tried to reassured her sister and herself.

"Well... alright. If... you say so. But if you _do_ need somepony to talk to..." Celestia offered again.

"I know, and I thank you sis but for now I just need some... more time to myself."

"As you wish," came the almost defeated reply with a heavyhearted sigh behind it. "Just try not to keep yourself locked up too much longer, alright? The rest of the court _would_ like to get to know you and... I..."

"I... I know Tia," Luna sighed herself, leaning her head against the door. "I don't mean to be a burden and I'll be out soon I promise."

"I certainly hope so, you _do_ have to raise the moon in a few hours after all," Celestia reminded her, trying to sound her normal jovial self but they both could tell it was forced.

"I know. I'll be there," the smaller pony nodded in determination.

There was no further comment from the other side of the door but Luna could sense that her sister had returned her nod before she walked off. When she was sure she was gone, Luna let out a heavy sigh of her own before she started to move away from the door. She knew she should be out there to tend to the matters of the court and meet some other ponies and at the very least get to know her sister all over again. But she just couldn't help but still feel like an outsider even after all these months. There were still some ponies that didn't trust her, most notably among them the guards. They always seemed a bit antsy whenever she was around, especially when she was talking to her sister. Of course Celestia was quick to order them back in that polite yet determined way of hers that nopony dare question. It was a trick that always made Luna chuckle because it was so completely opposite of how Celestia really was. She didn't think she had ever met a mare as kind and generous and loving as her big sister.

And she nearly ruined her relationship with her over something so petty and stupid like some spoiled little filly. That would have been bad enough but she let her anger get the best of her and created something so horrible that they _still_ talk about it today even if Nightmare Moon was relegated to some Boogeymare to scare foals. She still created a legacy of fear and anger that she wasn't sure she could ever hope to live down.

"Then why bother at all?" a voice called out behind her.

Much like in her dream, Luna felt her entire body go stiff and her blood run cold. And like in the dream she spun around to find herself facing Nightmare Moon, but this time she was inside of the full length mirror standing in one corner of her room. Instead of her own reflection, the mirror showed the image of Nightmare Moon towering over her like some twisted fun house mirror.

"No. No no no! You can't be here! I'm awake now!" Luna shouted angrily.

"Oh you silly filly haven't you figured it out yet?" Nightmare taunted with a wave of her hoof. "I'll _always_ be here because I _am_ you! Sad but true. Well...sad for _you_ but great for _me_. And I meant what I said before Luna. I _will_ be free. And there's nothing you or anypony can do to stop me!"

Luna's wide eyes of fear slowly narrowed into a look of determination and strength.

"We'll see about that," she warned before she ran off in search of her sister.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Celestia continued to stare at the locked door in front of her for a few seconds before she sighed and walked away. She knew something was bothering Luna and had been for awhile but she just wasn't sure what it was. No wait, that was a lie, she knew exactly what it was. It was the hushed whispers and paranoid glances she received ever since her return. Even the palace guards, whose duty it was to protect _both_ princesses seemed wary of her. Not that it wasn't unexpected of course, but it still frustrated Celestia to no end. It was just like it was 1,000 years ago and that worried her. Especially given the letter Twilight had just recently sent. A terrifying sense of deja vu crept over her and she was determined _not_ let it all happen again.

"_All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again."_

She surprised herself at remembering those rather cryptic words spoken to her a long time ago. That surprise only lasted a second before her face took a look of steely determination.

_Not if _I_ have anything to say about it_, she thought resolutely.

"Your majesty!" one of the guards called, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Twilight Sparkle has arrived."

"Excellent!" she replied, a surprisingly bright smile on her face. "Please take me to her."

The guard nodded then led the princess to where Twilight was waiting just outside the throne room. Despite the dire situation both student and mentor smiled upon seeing each other again.

"Twilight Sparkle," Celestia greeted, giving the purple unicorn a warm hug. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too Princess," Twilight returned both the sentiment and the hug. "But what's going on here? Your letter sounded urgent. And a bit...well...creepy."

The joy fell from Celestia's face as seriousness of the situation returned to her.

"It is," she nodded. "Please come with me, there is much I need to tell you."

With that, she used her magic to open the massive throne room doors then motioned for Twilight to go in first. She started to walk after her but stopped when she realized the two guards behind them were following them in.

"In _private_," she said pointedly, staring down the two guards.

"But... um... your majesty," the first guard started nervously. "We're supposed to stay with you at all times for your protection."

"Yes I know and you do a wonderful job at that, but there _are_ times when I prefer to be alone and this is one of those times."

"But what if something were to happen?" the second guard asked.

"Then I have no doubt that you two wonderful colts would rush in here and save us poor fillies. But for now I need to talk to my student in private. I _can_ make this a royal decree if I have to. Now, _will_ I have to?" she asked, giving them both a look that dared either of them to speak against her.

They both swallowed nervously and looked between themselves.

"N-no ma'am. We'll... we'll be right outside if you need us," the first guard said while backing away.

The second one merely nodded as he followed the other's lead.

"I'm so glad we could understand each other boys," Celestia returned with a pleasant voice and happy smile.

As soon as the doors were closed again she let out a small, exasperated sigh as she turned back to Twilight.

"I swear, I know those boys mean well and they're just doing their jobs but sometimes they can get a little... stifling," she remarked.

"I'm sure," Twilight said a bit awkwardly. "So what is you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Follow me," the princess instructed.

She then walked over to the other side of the room, passing by the throne and stepping up to a large mural behind it depicting herself and Luna creating an eclipse. Twilight had noticed it before but never really paid any attention to it. It was certainly well done and kind of touching in a way but she wasn't exactly sure what made it so important that the princess was walking over to it.

That reason was quickly made clear as Celestia reached a hoof out to the mural to press on her own Cutie Mark in the painting. Twilight was surprised to see it was actually a button that once pressed caused a section of the wall next to it to slide apart and reveal a hidden chamber inside. She was so awestruck by this revelation that she barely noticed Celestia nodding her head towards the room as a sign that she should follow her. Once she finally got the hint Twilight eagerly trotted forward to see what her mentor was trying to show her.

She was overcome once again when she saw that although the room was small it seemed to have a much grander presence about it. There were six, large, golden statues of ponies she had never seen before in a set of three on either side of the room. They all led towards another mural at the end of the room, this time depicting Celestia and six other ponies fighting off Nightmare Moon and a unicorn she didn't recognize. Around the six ponies hovered the original Elements of Harmony that were creating the Rainbow of Light that she and her friends had used to destroy Nightmare Moon and free Luna a year ago. In fact, now that she studied the painting more closely she saw that the ponies surrounding Princess Celestia were the same number and species as her and her friends. Two unicorns, two pegasi, and two earth ponies. When she turned to ask her mentor what this meant, she noticed that the statues themselves were the same number and species as in the mural. In fact they _were_ the ponies from the mural!

She walked over to the one closest to her, the one of a unicorn with a short mane and comet-like Cutie Mark and read the inscription on the plaque placed on the pedestal.

"'In Memory of Shooting Star, The Element of...Magic'?" she cried out surprise.

She then walked over to the statue of a Pegasus with a long, straight mane whipping behind her and a rain cloud Cutie Mark.

"'In Memory of Rainmaker, The Element of Loyalty'," she read aloud again.

She continued to stare in disbelief as she walked back to the princess while glancing at the last statue before her. This time it was of an earth pony with an unkempt mane and lighted torch Cutie Mark. Also unlike the other two statues that looked strong or resolute, this one had a huge smile on her face. It made Twilight smile on reflex since it reminded her so much of Pinkie's infectious smile. Which she found quite fitting once she read the inscription below.

"'In Memory of Torchlight, The Element of Laugher'."

Somehow she didn't seem surprised but she was still just as confused as she made her way back over to her mentor.

"Princess, I don't understand. What is all this?" she asked, gesturing a hoof to the statues.

"This, my dear Twilight," Princess Celestia began with a sadness in her voice that the young unicorn had never heard before, "is a memorial to some of my most dearest friends. The original bearers of the Elements of Harmony."

"What?" Twilight couldn't help but scream in surprise.

Despite the pained memories this place brought up, Celestia couldn't help but smile at her student's shocked reaction. It was understandable of course, this news _did_ go against everything she had learned after all. Unfortunately, that momentary bit of amusement was all too fleeting as the seriousness of the situation caught back up with her.

"I'm sorry Twilight, but I'm afraid I haven't been... completely honest with you," she tried to explain.

"_I'll_ say," the purple unicorn snipped before she realized just _who_ she had snipped too and a horrified expression crossed her face. "I mean, I'm sure you had your reasons for not telling me the whole truth Princess! Very, _very_, good reasons!" she add quickly with a nervous chuckle and smile.

Again this response provoked a reaction from the Princess but this time it was an annoyed sigh.

"Twilight, I've told you before you don't have to grovel in front of me like that. You can treat me like any other pony," she explained.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

Celestia cut her off with a raised hoof and a shake of her head.

"Please don't fret about it. You _do_ have a right to be annoyed after all, but please let me tell you _why_ I've hidden this information from you and the rest of Equestria. You see these ponies were not just the bearers of the Elements and my personal bodyguards but my friends as well."

Twilight gave her a confused look but shrugged it off and followed the Princess as she started to walk towards the mural at the other end of the room again.

"You've already seen those statues there," she said, nodding her head towards the statues now on their left. The other ones are Deep Dive, the Element of Honesty,"

She nodded to a statue of an earth pony with an water-like Cutie Mark an appropriately waving mane and tail.

"Moonracer the Element of Kindness," she continued this time pointing a Pegasus with a comet flying past the moon for her Cutie Mark and a curled mane.

"And last, but certainly not least, Firestar, the Element of Generosity," Celestia finished with an oddly bemused smile on her face at the unicorn's likeness.

Twilight looked up at that statue next to her and out of all of them this one seemed to have the most... personality. While the others hardly had blank expressions, they seemed more somber and celebrated the ponies' deaths while this one seemed to celebrate this pony's life. There was just something about the engraved smirk that seemed to resonate from the statue. The statue itself was carved with the immaculate detail that the others were and perfectly showed off the fireball Cutie Mark on her flank as well as her mane and tail which were each spiked up enough to resemble the flames of her name and Cutie Mark.

"That's... nice Princess, but I'm still not sure I understand why you had to keep this all a secret," Twilight remarked.

"Because of them," Celestia answered, pointing a hoof at the mural.

The young unicorn looked at the painting again, particularly the section her mentor was pointing to. It was the half with Nightmare Moon and the unicorn next to her and for the first time Twilight noticed that they also had gems floating around them similar to the Elements of Harmony around Celestia and the original bearers. She squinted in confusion as she walked up to the mural to try and understand what they were. When that failed she finally turned back to the Princess with a questioning look.

"What are they?" she asked.

"The Elements of Discord," Celestia answered as she walked up behind her student.

"'The Elements of Discord'?" Twilight repeated with a cocked eyebrow. "I've never heard of them before."

"Which is exactly the point," the Princess nodded. "It's why I had to hide away all of this," she gestured to the room. "Why I had to let the world forget the _true_ heroes of that terrible day. Let them forget... my friends."

She closed her eyes with a sorrowful sigh and Twilight could see a small tear making it's way down her white-coated cheek. The unicorn's ears fell flat against her head in sympathy and unease. She had never seen her mentor so sad before. She was either usually happy or serious with a few levels of emotions in between. But never like this. It made her own heart sink and feel somehow responsible for making her relive this awful experience.

"Princess, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" she started to apologize but again the alicorn cut her off.

"It's not your fault Twilight," she said with a slight sniffle. "If anything it was _my_ fault for not paying enough attention to Luna. To see what she was going through that made her take such drastic measures as to search out Discord and use his elements."

"Wait, 'his'? I thought they were just...I dunno...elements like the Elements of Harmony are...elements," Twilight remarked then chided herself on saying the word "elements" so many times.

"It's a bit of both, actually," Celestia clarified. "Discord is a monster fueled by chaos that the original bearers and I locked away using the Elements of Harmony. But apparently he had enough power left to make his own Elements that stood in direct contrast to the original ones. Their power is what transformed Luna into Nightmare Moon."

"And that's what she's using here to fight against you and the other Elements," the purple unicorn concluded.

Her mentor nodded. "Correct."

"But then who's this?" Twilight asked, pointing to the blue unicorn next to Nightmare Moon.

"That would be Nightmare's accomplice in her rebellion, Dark Sky," Celestia said a bit bitterly.

"'Dark Sky'?" she repeated in surprise. "So that wasn't a _phrase_ that was a _pony_?"

"Apparently and I'll be interested to know where you heard that name from as soon as all of this is figured out."

"I'm not sure you'll believe me, but alright. So who _was_ Dark Sky?"

"She was the pony responsible for leading Luna to Discord in the first place," the white alicorn said, her face held in a deep scowl and an anger in her voice that startled Twilight.

"That's not true!" a new voice screamed behind them.

Both startled ponies turned in surprise towards the other end of the room to find the younger princess of Equestria standing in the still open doorway to the room.

"Luna!" Celestia cried out with a start. "When did you get here?"

"Just now," she replied, her eyes a bit narrowed. "Is that _really_ what you think Tia?"

The older sister faltered a bit under the accusation and _wanted_ to come up with another answer if for no other reason than to appease her sister, but sadly she could not. Instead she just gave a small nod of confirmation.

"That's what I've _always_ believed," she revealed.

"Then you really _didn't_ pay attention to me," Luna spat almost venomously as she flew over to the two.

"No! Luna, I..." again Celestia's resolution fell short as she couldn't dispute that fact. "You're right. I didn't. I let myself get caught up in my work and..."

"Your friends," the younger sister cut her off. "Believe me I know, I watched you all the time. I _tried_ to be their friend too but everypony was always too busy or tired to be around Little Luna."

"Luna," Celestia started again, her voice and expression soften.

But much like with Twilight, Luna cut her sister off with a raised hoof and slight sigh.

"I know, nopony _meant_ to exclude me from everything but that's how it _felt_," she confessed. "The _only _one who wanted to be my real friend was Sky. That's why I got mad when you said it was her that made me to go Discord. In truth... it was all my idea."

Celestia seemed more surprised by this news than Twilight. After all she, like most ponies in Canterlot, had grown up hearing the story of Nightmare Moon and how the jealous Sister of the Night turned against her sister controlling the daylight. Of course she _had_ been surprised when she learned these two sisters were still alive and one just happened to be her mentor. She knew Celestia raised the sun but until the day she and her friends had defeated Nightmare Moon she just assumed it was a talent that ran in the family. Course now that she knew the truth this little family spat the two princesses were having made her feel even more nervous and awkward.

"Sooo... Princess Luna, why _did_ you end up getting the Elements of Discord if it wasn't because of this Dark Sky pony?" she asked, hoping to break the tension and because of her natural curiosity.

"Yes Luna, why would you do that?" Celestia asked, eager to know the whole truth herself. "The legend had to be changed for safety and simplicity's sake but I never thought you actually went yourself to see that beast."

"That's because you didn't _want _to believe it Tia, but you were right in the legend, I _was_ angry and bitter because no other pony appreciated my nights or even want to be my friend. So when I met Sky I thought all that changed but..."

"But what?" Twilight prodded.

"Well," Luna started, turning to her for the first time in the conversation. "To tell you about that first I have to tell you about the night I first met Dark Sky. It was a long time ago..."

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Notes: **So this chapter has taken me a _long_ time to finally get out, hasn't it? And it's not even that long of a chapter. Yeah, sorry about that, I meant to have more in this one aside from just exposition, but I knew what I wanted to do in the upcoming flashback couldn't be crammed into this chapter without making it insanely long. Even though I feel that would make up for the long period between chapters I still think it'd be too much at once. So I decided to move it the next chapter so I'll have plenty of time to do some nice pacing in it and flesh things out more which I think will be for the best in the long run.

I _do _want to apologize for the long wait for this chapter. The last few months here have been pretty crazy and that kept me from being able to focus on writing. That's actually another reason for the shorter chapter here, I just wanted to get something out so you guys know I _am_ still working on it, it's just taking a little longer than before. In addition to the craziness, I'm getting to the parts that are a little more fuzzy so I might not get them out as quickly as I did before. But I'm determined to see this thing through to the end.

Now onto the real meat of this chapter. Obviously it does _not_ match up to the second season premiere and I never expected it to. They had their own plan and I had mine. But since it _did_ take so long to get this chapter out I was able to make some revisions to my original idea and work Discord in here after all. I had always intended for someone to give Luna and Dark Sky the Elements of Discord so instead of making it an OC like I had originally planned I can now make it Discord himself. Which means the fic gets to have a double meaning as they are now _literally_ the Elements of Discord.

But how did he make them? How did Luna and Sky get them? How did they meet in the first place? How are they original bearers to the Elements of Harmony and what are they like? All off these questions and more will be answered in the next chapter. So be sure to come back for whenever I get it written!

See ya then!


	7. A Friend In Darkness

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

**The Elements of Discord**

**Chapter 7: A Friend In Darkness**

Luna stood on the highest balcony of Canterlot Castle and stared at the sun hanging low in the sky, a sign that the day was almost over. Soon her sister would lower the sun fully and she would raise the moon and light the stars to bring another night. Another lonely night. She let out a small sigh but it was quickly covered up by the sounds of uproarious laughter. She glanced down from the balcony and saw her sister and her six guardians in castle's courtyard. Not surprisingly the source of the laughter came from Torchlight. She _was_ the bearer of the Element of Laughter after all. Even in her melancholy state Luna couldn't help but grin as she watched the yellow earth pony cartwheeling around the others in her usual jovial spirits. Her bright red mane cascading around her which caused it to look even more unruly than normal.

She continued to watch a moment as the rest of the group all laughed at the jester's antics, especially her sister. Even though the six were really supposed to be the guardians to both princesses, they always seemed much more at ease around Celestia than they ever did around her. Just like everypony else. It wasn't that Luna didn't try to be friendly towards the guardians and her subjects, in fact she tried very hard, it's just that she could somehow never be as relaxed as her older sister always seemed to be. She always stood on the formal traditions their parents had taught them which apparently made her come off as distant or snobbish.

Then, of course, there was the fact that nopony ever stayed up to appreciate her nights. They were all too happy to play and frolic in Celestia's beautiful daylight but once she took over and created an equally beautiful night, everypony suddenly decided they were too tired to stay out. Even the supposed guardians usually went off to bed. Those few who _did_ stay awake were again driven off by her use of the Royal Voice. It was enough to drive a pony mad!

But she still pressed on. Hoping that one night, _any_ night, somepony might be awake to share in the night sky with her and see her for the kindhearted pony she really was. There were times when it felt like a foolish dream, but it was one she wasn't ready to give up on yet. Some night her luck would change, she was sure of it.

Feeling a bit more invigorated by her internal pep talk, Luna spread her wings wide then gently floated down to the courtyard below where she landed just a few steps behind the group to enjoy the remaining bit of daylight with them and hope that this might be the night her luck changes.

"GOOD EVENING MY DEAR SISTER AND OUR LOYAL GUARDIANS!" she loudly proclaimed, making them all jump a bit in surprise and causing Torchlight to lose her balance and fall on her face.

"Luna," Celestia said softly as she turned towards her sister. "I told you before that you don't need to use the Royal Voice around them because they are our friends and not just our protectors. Isn't that right girls?"

The six mares all nodded and gave various agreeing remarks.

"WE APOLOG-" Luna started again but then stopped and cleared her throat. "I mean...I am sorry. I am just used to using the Royal Voice more often than not."

"Because you were the one who usually paid attention while father was teaching it to us," Celestia remarked as she walked over to her sister and frowned a bit. "That's probably why he preferred spending time with you."

"Tia," the younger princess said, dropping all forms of royal pretense. "Don't say things like that. Father loved us both equally."

"I know. I just..." she started, but then closed her eyes and turned her ahead away.

A somber mood filled the air as the princesses suddenly became very quiet and reserved. The others stood silent as well, though it was much more out of respect and confusion than anything else. They _wanted_ to offer some kind of words of encouragement but nopony could think of a way to cut the tension.

Well..._one_ pony could.

"Come on everypony, cheer up!" Torchlight said as she rolled in between the two princesses on a giant ball while juggling six smaller ones with her front hooves. "We're supposed to be merry and jolly when around friends!"

Celestia's amused chuckle caused everypony to relax and laugh a bit themselves. Even the usually dour Luna grinned at the yellow pony's antics. Her bemused expression turned to one of confusion when she felt somepony place a hoof on her shoulder. She turned to see Firestar standing next to her.

"If you makes you feel better princess, I have always liked your use of the Royal Voice," the reddish-orange pony with the flame like mane remarked.

"Mostly because it masks your own loud, obnoxious voice," Rainmaker quipped with a smirk of her own.

"Well what can I say? I have to be loud just like fire," the unicorn paused to kick her right hoof against the ground to create a spark which quickly turned into a rather large funnel of flame thanks to her horn, "and burn bright!"

The turquoise Pegasus quickly jumped back from the torrent of fire, barely avoiding getting her long black mane singed. She glared at her friend before she flew off in a hurry. Firestar smirked smugly as she used her magic to douse the flames before turning back to Princess Luna. Just as she opened her mouth to say something else, a sudden downpour of rain splashed over her body. She spit out the bit that had gotten into her mouth then wiped her now wet hair from her eyes and looked up to see Rainmaker laying on a cloud with her front hooves crossed and her own satisfied smirk on her face.

"You may burn bright Firestar, but I will always be there to put you out," she remarked.

The unicorn looked like she was about to offer a comment back when she was distracted by a soft laughter to the right of her. She turned her soaking head to find Deep Dive barely suppressing a giggle behind her right hoof. When the sea foam green earth pony realized she has been spotted she quickly looked away and started to absently play with her wavy white mane.

"What are you laughing at Ms. I Saw A Sea Pony?" Firestar challenged.

The comment caused her to loose all pretense of innocence and glare back at the fiery unicorn with an equally fierce look.

"I am sick of everypony making fun of me for that! I _did _see sea ponies! They are real!" she shouted insistently.

"Deep Dive, how many times have we gone over this? There is no proof that sea ponies have _ever_ existed anywhere in Equestria," a violet colored unicorn pointed out.

"Look Shooting Star, I spend more time next to the seas and rivers than _any_ pony and I tell you I saw sea ponies!"

"Then why haven't you ever brought one back?" Firestar challenged.

"Because they are hard to catch! But I'm not lying! I _can't _lie! Element of Honesty, remember? So what I'm telling you is the honest truth!"

"I'm not calling you a liar," Shooting Star spoke up again. "I believe that _you_ truly believe what you _think_ you saw out there."

"I KNOW WHAT I SAW!" Deep Dive screamed hysterically.

"Alright everypony, calm down," Celestia advised as she stepped forward. "Perhaps this is a conversation we should have for another day. For now it is time for me to end this day and my sister to start the night. Are you ready Luna?"

"Of course sister," Luna spoke with a nod of her head.

Celestia nodded back before the two of them took to the sky. The others watched as the two Alicorns glided through the sky, performing what looked like an intricate dance as they aligned the sun and the moon. Eventually Celestia started to land gracefully, dragging the sun with her as Luna flew even higher, bringing the moon up to it's full glory in the darkened sky. Once it was secured she flashed her horn a handful of times and several hundreds tiny dots started to illuminate the sky as well, creating a beautiful tapestry of black and white.

"Now there is a sight I shall never grow tired of seeing," Moonracer said softly as she hovered in the sky.

As Luna put the finishing touches on the night sky, Torchlight went around and replaced the old torches around the castle grounds while Firestar came by and lit them with her magic. When they were done they made their way back to the others just as Luna landed next to her sister.

"Another glorious night sister, well done!" Celestia complimented her.

"Thank you dear sister. Perhaps this once you would all like to stay up and enjoy it with me?" Luna asked with a slightly hopeful tone in her voice.

Unfortunately, the group's silence and awkward stares told her all she needed to know. Again.

"I _am_ sorry Luna but we have all had long days and require a good night's sleep," Celestia explained in an apologetic tone.

"Yeah it's nothing personal Princess," Firestar said. "If I hadn't burnt my wick at both ends earlier today I would gladly stay awake to keep you company."

"No, no I understand. It can be hard to stay awake all day and night and we do all need our rest," Luna assured them, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice. "Still...is there nopony who could stay awake for just an hour more? Moonracer, you perhaps? You said you have always enjoyed my moon have you not?"

"I course I do Princess," the teal Pegasus agreed. "Normally I would be more than happy to accompany you but I'm afraid," her sentence was interrupted by a loud yawn, "that I too have had a long day and must rest. Perhaps tomorrow night?"

"That...that would be lovely," the Alicorn said with a forced smile.

"Til tomorrow then. Have a pleasant night Princess," Moonracer said with a bow before she turned to join the others as they made their way into the castle.

"Yes. You as well. Have a...pleasant...night," Luna stammered out, the last word muttered under her breath and quickly caught in a sad sigh as she lowered her head.

She stood quietly for a moment in the still of her freshly created night. A night, it seemed, she would be spending alone once again.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Later that night Luna found herself walking around the small village just outside of the castle. She could of flown of course but she always found walking to be more soothing. It allowed her more time to mull over her thoughts and feelings. Not to mention it made crashing into things much less disastrous if she got too lost in her own thoughts. Plus Celestia was always telling her to walk more than fly as a way of showing their subjects that while they may be their rulers they are not above them. It was a way to literally stay grounded and in touch with everypony.

_Not that there _are_ any ponies out here for me to stay in touch with, _Luna thought in dismay.

She hung her head with another sad sigh as she looked around at the empty roads and darkened huts that surrounded her. Just as they did every night. Occasionally she _would_ see another pony out and about but they always seemed nervous around her and usually would shy away. They were respectful of course, but they never seemed as relaxed around her as they did her sister. She knew she had a reputation for being much more...formal then Celestia and she _did _represent the night but that did not make her some sort of _monster_!

"Perhaps I am a bit too...loud when speaking with our subjects but how am I to improve in these social skills if nopony is around for me to interact with?" Luna asked her night sky. "Tis not _my_ fault they do not want to stay awake to speak to me and enjoy my nights! Am _I_ to be tired by staying up during the day just to please _them_? Where is the fairness in that?"

She emphasized her last question with a stamp of her right hoof as she stared up to her one truly consistent companion; the moon. Unfortunately, being an inanimate object thousands of miles away it offered no answer for her query. In fact after a moment or two of staring, it finally dawned on her exactly what she was doing.

"Now I am asking the moon for advice," she mumbled. "Tis _not_ a good sign." She sighed again. "Perhaps I would not have to do that if there was somepony, _anypony_, out here besides myself!"

"No! Go away! Leave me alone!" a voice from afar cried out.

Luna's right ear twitched at the sound and her face scrunched up in annoyance.

"Of course!" she growled. "Somepony _is _out here and they want me to leave! Well I shall meet this insolent pony and see if they are brave enough to say that to my face!"

She galloped towards the voice with righteous fury, ready to unleash all her frustrations on the poor, unfortunate soul that happened to catch her at the wrong time. All that misplaced anger faded, however, when she reached the source of the offending voice and found a most peculiar sight. It was a dark blue unicorn with a silver mane standing by herself just beyond the last hut of the village glaring up at a lone, dark cloud floating in the sky. Though she wasn't just glaring at it, it seemed that this unicorn was the one that was screaming and she wasn't screaming at Luna to leave her alone but rather...the cloud.

The younger princess cocked an eyebrow in confusion as she continued to watch the unicorn berate the cloud.

"Why? Why won't you go away? Why can't you just leave me alone?" she screamed desperately.

The more she watched, the more it dawned on Luna that this sight was odd for another reason. There were no other clouds in the sky and as far as she knew there were none scheduled to be there. Neither she nor her sister had talked to any of the Pegasi to create any cloud cover that night, so where did _that _cloud come from and why it did upset this unicorn so much? She _had_ to know! Besides, that pony seemed to be in trouble and as her sister always said it was their duty to help out _all_ of their subjects. And it wouldn't hurt to have _somepony_ see her in a favorable light.

Her mind made up, Luna carefully walked over to the distressed unicorn, careful not to surprise her too much. Unfortunately, all that good intention was gone the moment she opened her mouth.

"WHAT APPEARS TO BE TROUBLING YOU OUR LOYAL SUBJECT?" she proclaimed in the loud and echoing Royal Voice.

"GAH!" the startled unicorn screamed as she fell backwards in shock.

When she recovered from the surprising, and almost deafening, scream her face contorted in anger and she was prepared to let loose with a few loud and heated words of her own before she saw who it was that had startled her.

"P-Princess Luna!" she cried out in amazement.

"YES IT IS WE, YOUR PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT! WE ARE HERE TO ASSIST YOU IN WHATEVER TROUBLE YOU MAY BE HAVING!"

"I...I...I...I..." the unicorn stuttered.

"PLEASE SPEAK UP! WE CANNOT HEAR YOU!" Princess Luna encouraged her with a friendly smile that was canceled out by her booming voice.

"Would you shut up out there? Some of us are trying to sleep!" a surly Earth pony shouted bitterly from the window of his nearby cabin.

Much like the unicorn, however, he quickly drew back when he realized who he was yelling at.

"Princess Luna! I didn't mean to...that is...please don't mind me, carry on!" he said quickly before dropping back from the window and slamming the shutters closed.

Luna stared at where the rude pony has stood for a second longer in annoyance before she shook her head and turned her attention back to the pony she _wanted_ to hear from. She was about to speak again when she thought about what had just happened and what Celestia had said about the use of the Royal Voice. So in a much gentler, and quieter, voice she asked:

"Why are you yelling at this cloud my little pony?"

The unicorn stammered a bit before she looked away shyly and started to knead the dirt with her right hoof.

"Because...I...I..." she started sheepishly, almost embarrassed, before her face contorted in anger and she glared up at the dark cloud once again. "Because I'm tired of it ruining my life!"

Luna cocked an eyebrow again, her confusion doubled.

"Perhaps you should go into further detail," she advised.

"Forgive me Princess," she unicorn apologized with a small bow.

"Actually, now that I think about it, it is I who should apologize to you," the Alicorn remarked. "For I have been careless and have forgotten to ask you your name."

"Oh. I am Dark Sky your majesty," the unicorn formally introduced herself.

"'Dark Sky'?" Luna repeated. "That is quite an...unusual name for a unicorn."

"Well my father was a Pegasus so he wanted something with a Pegasus ring to it so 'Sky' was always meant to be part of my name and apparently when I was born it was dark and so they added that as well," Dark Sky explained. "While odd at the time it seemed rather fitting once _that_ showed up," she gestured her head bitterly towards the cloud. "Which has been with me as soon as my magic started to develop and then...well...I got this..."

She inclined her head towards her Cutie Mark which Luna had not noticed before. Upon seeing it she understood what the unicorn meant by her name being quite fitting. It was a storm cloud with two lighting bolts shooting out from it. Again, quite odd for a unicorn, but perhaps not for one with a Pegasus for a father and a storm cloud always following her. Which brought up another question.

"So are you to say that _you_ control this cloud?" Luna asked as she pointed to the cloud.

"I _cause_ it but I don't _control_ it," Dark Sky said bitterly. "My mother thinks it has something to do with my father's abilities to move clouds mixing with my own natural unicorn abilities. I think it's some kind of punishment for something I did but I don't know what. Maybe I was just born unlucky."

Luna's expression softened as she felt a twang of sympathy for the unicorn. Especially since she had those same feelings from time-to-time.

_Perhaps if I find a way to solve her problem that might make us both feel better,_ she mused before she tried to think of a solution.

Of course the most obvious one hit her right away.

"If your magic is the cause of this problem, perhaps it can also be the solution," she remarked.

"I've _tried_," Dark Sky said bitterly, her frustration overriding her manors. "And every time I do _this_ happens!"

With that, the midnight blue unicorn's horn lit up with a matching dark blue light. The Princess watched as the dark cloud above them quickly dissipated but then just as quickly reformed the moment Dark Sky lost her concentration.

"Unless I focus on it all the time it's just always going to be there!" she cried out in an exasperated voice. "It's been like that since I was foal! Always hanging over me and making me an outcast!"

Again Luna could feel a kinship with the mare's plight but she knew she had to be strong for her subject and not let her own feelings get in the way. She swallowed a lump in her throat before she asked her next question.

"How...how has it made you an outcast?" she forced herself to ask.

"Because nopony wants to be around the Pony That Blocks The Sun!" Dark Sky screamed with a stamp of her hoof and her anger making her forget who she was talking to. "I _tried_ to be nice! I _tried_ to be friendly! I can't help it if I have this...this...curse! I _tried_ to explain it to them but nopony would listen! They would all just walk away from me like I was carrying a plague! Do you know what it is like to want to be around somepony only for them to recoil in fear from you? To be alone all the time?"

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself at the end of her rant and as her senses returned to her she finally remembered who she was talking to. Surprisingly enough that didn't seem to change her attitude much.

"No. I guess you wouldn't," she mumbled a bit bitterly under her breath.

"Actually you would be surprised," Luna confessed softly.

The statement finally broke Dark Sky out of her bitter feelings and replaced them with ones of surprise. She couldn't believe what she was hearing!

"But...you're the Princess!" she remarked.

"_One_ of the Princesses," Luna corrected. "More accurately the Princess of the Night. While my sister assures me that all our subjects love my nights just as much as her days, look around you," she suggested with a sweep of her left hoof. "Do you see any _other_ ponies out here? No! Even that rude pony from earlier had no qualms about yelling to me, _the second princess_, because I disturbed his slumber. Which is what _all_ ponies do now which leaves me _quite_ alone in my Kingdom of Darkness. So yes, I _do_ know how it feels to be alone."

Dark Sky shrunk down to the ground and turned her head away from the princess in shame and guilt.

"I...I am sorry. I had no idea," she apologized.

Luna sighed then stepped forward then sat down on the grass next to the unicorn and gently brought a hoof up under her chin to turn her head back towards her.

"Nopony does. Not even my own sister. It is...a burden I have had to bear for far too long. I was beginning to think I would be alone with my nights forever. But with your...condition, you seem like a pony who is mostly active at night, yes?"

Dark Sky nodded silently, unsure of what to make of this surprisingly soft side to the princess.

"Then perhaps we could spend our lonely nights together?" Luna suggested.

The unicorn's purple eyes shot wide in disbelief.

"You...you would _want_ to spend time with a lowly peasant like me?" she blurted.

"No. I would want to spend time with a _friend_ like you," the Alicorn corrected. "That is...if you_ wish_ to be my friend."

"Of-of course! That's all I _ever_ wanted! And to be friends with one of the Princesses is...is..."

"How about instead of 'Princess' you just call me 'Luna'?" she remarked with a smile.

"Oh. Right. Sorry Prin-Luna," Dark Sky said with a quickly widening smile of her own.

"Then it is settled! I decree that from this moment fourth neither of us shall spend the nights alone ever again!"

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Luna held true to her promise in the nights and weeks that followed. After she raised the moon every night, she would make her way out of the castle to meet up with Dark Sky and from there they would walk around the village as they talked. They shared with each other the more depressing parts of their lives and talked about their hopes and dreams for the future. Luna showed Sky around the castle while Sky showed Luna some of her favorite spots to enjoy the night as she best she could with the constant cloud blocking her view. A quick favorite of both of theirs became a small pond just outside the village where they would continue their talks and share a midnight picnic and if Luna had made the right preparations for a warm night, enjoy a moonlit swim.

When she got to tour the castle, Sky always found herself drawn to the massive Royal Library with it's hundreds of volumes of books and literature on the history of Equestria and some of the folklore that had been fortunate enough to be written down. Usually Luna was not that thrilled to be in the library as she used it more as refuge from her loneliness but seeing it through her friend's eyes made it seem exciting and new. They would spend the late hours reading and laughing, especially when Luna would go all out and read an old story her parents used to read her and her sister when they were foals with scary voices included.

Despite all their merriment, Luna could tell there was still something bothering Sky deep down. She still seemed rather melancholy at times and occasionally Luna would catch her glancing up at the cloud perpetually hanging over her head and letting out a soft sigh. The first few times this had happened, Luna tried to cheer her friend up by telling her an amusing anecdote she had overheard or by telling her more about the ways of the castle. This seemed to be only a temporary relief, however, and soon enough the unicorn's expression would fall again. Finally, upon hearing another sigh that very night, Luna held out her hoof to stop her friend and get to the root of her sadness.

"Sky, please, what is it that troubles you so?" she asked before she glanced upwards. "Besides the obvious I mean."

The dark blue unicorn looked away from the princess almost ashamedly.

"It's...It's nothing," she mumbled.

"No it is something that has been troubling you for awhile. Please, let me know so that I may help."

"I...I just...I feel ashamed," Sky confessed.

Luna cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Ashamed of what?"

"Because we've been friends for awhile now and I have not yet been able to fully appreciate your beautiful nights or moon because of..._that_," she revealed, jabbing her right hoof angrily towards the cloud above her. "I've seen the reflection of the moon in the pond, but just once I'd like to gaze upon it with my own eyes."

Luna was stunned into silence at first but when she recovered she suddenly reached out and pulled Dark Sky towards her in a tight embrace.

"Thank you so much Sky. That is, possibly, one of the sweetest things anypony has ever said to me," she said as she nuzzled the unicorn's neck.

"Hey, what are friends for, right?" Sky remarked a bit awkwardly even as she returned the hug.

"This is true," Luna nodded as she drew back. "And as your friend and your princess, it is my royal duty to help you with your problem."

"Okay, but how?" Sky asked.

Luna's face scrunched up and she rubbed her chin in thought. Her eyes moved back and fourth from the pony in front of her to the cloud above them. Soon enough she smiled brightly as an idea popped into her head. She spread her wings and gently took to the air where she hovered over Dark Sky before she reached out and held her under her front legs.

"H-hey what are you doing?" Sky yelled out in confusion.

"Helping you of course!" Luna smiled brightly. "Now when I give the word, use your magic to disperse the cloud."

"O...kay," the silver haired pony mumbled, still greatly confused.

She had little time to linger on it though as the second princess started to lift her into the air with a few powerful thrusts of her wings. Sky watched as the ground grew smaller and smaller and she felt a slight panic begin to overtake her. Despite the last half of her name it appeared she did _not_ like being up this high. She liked it even less that they were getting closer and closer to the black cloud above them. Filled with a surprising amount of dread she slammed her eyes shut and braced herself as if she were about to run head first into a wall. Even through her fear though she was able to hear Luna's voice when she called out to her.

"Now!" the princess exclaimed.

Acting purely on instinct, Sky's horn began to glow a dark blue as she wished the cloud to go away. It dispersed right before they would have hit and what she thought would be a rough stop ended up being more fluid flight through the air. Not that she could verify that, of course, as she still had her eyes clamped shut. It wasn't until she heard Luna's calming voice directly in her right ear again that she finally did start to relax.

"It is alright now, we made it through. Now please, open your eyes," Luna gently requested.

Sky swallowed nervously and nodded before she ever so slowly opened her eyes. When they were fully opened she was greeted to the most amazing sight she had ever seen. The calm night sky lay before her as a sea of black awash in millions of white pinprick starlights that reminded her of Luna's flowing mane. They seemed to go on forever and she would have spent her time trying to see them all had it not been for the giant, white orb hanging promptly in the sky that quickly grabbed her attention. The pond reflections did not do this majestic sight justice. She stared at the moon in utter amazement as it bathed the duo in it's soft light.

"It's...beautiful," Sky gasped in amazement.

"It certainly is, isn't it?" Luna mused with a soft smile.

"Yes. And it is a true shame more ponies don't recognize that fact," the unicorn grumbled.

"Trust me, I know of _that_ all too well," the princess grumbled as well but she let that grievance go for right now. This moment wasn't about her, it was about her friend. "Do you truly like it?"

"Of course!" Sky exclaimed, turning her head to look at Luna as best she could in her current position. "I would never lie to you about something like that. I just wish I could enjoy it a little...comfortably."

"There may be a way you can," Luna mused.

"What do you mean?"

"That was the other part of my idea. You are half Pegasus, correct?"

Dark Sky gave her a friend a questioning look before she answered. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Because if you inherited a Pegasus' ability to control clouds then you might also have inherited their ability to walk on them."

The unicorn's eyes opened wide in shook and fear.

"But what if I haven't? What if you set me on the cloud and I fall right through?" she screamed hysterically.

Luna calmed her fears by pulling her closer to her again.

"Then I shall be here to catch you my friend. I will _always_ be here for you," she whispered soothingly into Sky's ear.

Again Sky felt her apprehension melt away under Luna's encouragement and she gave her approval with a soft nod. Luna nodded in return before she slowly started to descend towards the reformed black cloud below them. Sky did her best to remain calm as they came closer and before she knew it her hind hooves were touching it's fluffy surface. Surprisingly enough it actually seemed a bit solid if not somewhat bouncy. She gave a quick nod of conformation to Luna who then gently set her front two hooves down on the rest of it. Both of them waiting with bated breath to see if she would actually stay on the cloud. Much to Sky's great surprise, and Luna's great delight, she remained standing just as steadily as if she were on land.

"I-I don't believe it! It worked!" she shouted as she started to jump up and down on the cloud in joy.

"Huzzah! The experiment was a success!" Luna declared happily.

Sky laughed at both Luna's statement and the fact that the thing she had so long looked upon as a curse that ruined her life was actually doing something to improve it. She fell onto her back and rolled round on the cloud a bit, careful not to go too far and fall off. A feat she _almost_ pulled off when she got too caught up in her merriment but she was saved when Luna created another cloud next to it. She pulled together a few more clouds to give herself enough room to sit down with her friend and admire the night sky she had put so much work into. Once she had finally calmed down, Sky moved to settle down next to Luna and the two simply sat in comfortable silence to bath in the moonlight. The stillness was broken after a few minutes, though, when Dark Sky reached out and placed one of her hooves on top of Luna's armored one.

"Thank you Luna," she said softly. "For this and for...well..._everything._"

"No. It is _I_ who should be thanking _you_," Luna corrected. "For showing me that there is at least _one_ pony out there that appreciates my night sky and my moon."

"I would say there was more than _one_ pony who appreciates it Princess," a voice spoke up from behind them.

Both ponies turned with a start to find a familiar teal colored Pegasus flying behind them. At least she was familiar to Luna.

"Moonracer!" the princess exclaimed in surprise and joy. "How long have you been there?"

"Only a few seconds your majesty," the Pegasus replied as she pulled up her own cloud next to the duo. She paused, however, when it finally dawned on her exactly what kind of pony was sitting next to the princess. "How...how is that unicorn sitting on that cloud?"

"Her father was a Pegasus and that has given her the ability to form the cloud under her and walk on them," Luna explained.

"Though to be fair I didn't know I could walk on the cloud until just now when Luna talked me into it," Dark Sky added.

"Amazing," Moonracer mused as she inspected the cloud and unicorn. "I've never seen anything like this."

"Yes it's certainly...something alright," Sky muttered a bit uneasily.

"I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" the Pegasus asked, confused by the remark.

"It is a...sensitive subject for her," Luna explained.

"Oh. Then I truly am sorry," Moonracer apologized with a nod of her head.

"Um...thanks," Sky said back, not used to have any other pony be so polite to her.

Moonracer nodded again then turned back to the princess with a large grin on her face.

"Well I suppose _this_ would explain the rumors of your late night meetings with some mysterious ponies," she said with a chuckle.

"Rumors? What rumors?" Luna asked indignantly.

Moonracer took a step back, feeling she said too much.

"I am sorry Princess, I didn't mean to overstep my bounds. There was just some...talk is all. Some believed you were off to meet some stallion in the woods."

"Oh that is just typical!" the Alicorn grumbled as she stamped a hoof on the cloud, sending small bits flying upwards. "First they shun my nights and then they spread idle gossip about me! How dare they question who I see during the night? Although it is surprising that anypony is _awake_ to see me and spread such vicious lies! And if I _was_ seeing a stallion then what business is it of theirs?"

"Princess please!" Moonracer pleaded, holding her front hooves up. "I didn't mean to upset you. I was merely trying to be jovial." She then sighed and hung her head. "This is why I usually leave the jokes to Torchlight."

After Luna took a moment to catch her breath and relax she looked over at the Guardian and felt remorse for her little outburst.

"I apologize Moonracer. I did not mean to be rude or insult you. I suppose I myself am still a little sensitive about certain things as well," Luna explained.

"It is alright Princess. As I said I'm not much of a joke teller myself and have difficulty telling what is funny and what may be...insulting. Forgive me."

"Easily my friend. You are, after all, the only pony aside from dear Dark Sky here that has ever said anything positive about my nights," the Princess remarked.

"I find that hard to believe your majesty."

"Actually it seems to be true," Sky spoke up. "In all the time we have spent together not a lot of other ponies have shown up."

"Indeed," Luna said bitterly. "So I have to cherish those that _do_ seem to appreciate all my hard work."

"Well know that I always have your majesty and it seems your friend here does as well," Moonracer pointed.

"Of course I do," Sky nodded in agreement.

"Thank you both," Luna smiled softly as she looked at them. "Moonracer, if you have no other pressing matters, would you care to join us?"

"It would be an honor Princess," the Pegasus replied as she floated over to the Alicorn's other side.

"There is just one condition?"

"Oh? Why might that me?"

"Please...simply call me Luna," she requested.

"Alright then, Luna," Moonracer said with a smile.

Luna smiled herself, one of many she had produced not just that night but over the last few weeks. Certainly more than she ever had before. In fact, despite a few slips here and there she couldn't remember when she had felt so happy and content before. She glanced over to either side of her to see the two ponies who truly appreciated her and her work. They were a far cry from all the hundreds of adoring ponies her sister had but for once in her life that didn't seem to matter. They liked her not for her station in life or her abilities but rather for the pony she was inside. They liked her not as Princess Luna, the second ruler of Equestria and Mistress of the Night but rather as simply Luna, a lonely pony who needed some friends. And she had found them. One new and lonely soul like herself and one she had known for awhile but they were each too formal to say anything before now.

But her friendship with Sky had changed her enough to where she could relax now and get to know Moonracer even better. In time she could be as close to her as Moonracer and the other Guardians were to her sister. And perhaps Moonracer could convince the others to stay up and talk with her a few nights and she could be close to them as well. Perhaps even other ponies after that. She didn't know. But for the first time in a long time Princess Luna was hopeful for her future and couldn't wait to see what the next night would bring.

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Notes: **Well here's another chapter that took me _far_ too long to finish. Much longer than I thought it would. What I can I say? Real life's just been really busy for me lately. But I was determined to get this one done before Christmas and despite quite a few distractions I got it finished! Yay! Course I did cut some corners again and left the flashback unfinished as I kinda wanted to leave everything on a hopeful note for the holidays. Plus again it was one of those things that just felt right story wise. Leaving off on a nice, happy scene before all the bad stuff happens. And we know it's gonna happen so it's not like I'm spoiling much here. Just gotta go over the details of how it all happened. But that will be for the next year.

For now I want to send a bit thank you to my pal Slyrr for letting me ape the title of one of his Kim Possible fics for the title of this chapter as I just couldn't think of anything else. Plus it really seemed to fit. For those curious it's part of his "All Things Probable" series that you can find on his FF.N page here: www. fanfiction. net/ u/ 1167529/ Slyrr just close in those gaps as we all know how much FF.N hates links. For some reason. The only other thing I gotta say is I know I kinda went through Sky and Luna's friendship pretty quickly but that's cause in the show that would have been handled in a montage. Preferably set to Queen's "You're My Best Friend". It just seems fitting. Especially given this show. Oddly enough when typing up the scene with them on the clouds I also thought of Rufus Wainwright's version of "Hallelujah" and how it could work for that scene and their friendship as well. Maybe it was just the 'bathed in moonlight' part. Or maybe I'm just weird. Either or.

Anyway that's all for me for now, I'll see ya again soon I hope where we learn more about Luna's fall from grace, transformation into Nightmare Moon and see the original Elements of Harmony in action! Which with Firestar involved promises to have MUCH fire in it!

Til then Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!


	8. Bad Moon Rising

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

**The Elements of Discord**

**Chapter 8: Bad Moon Rising**

In the nights and days that followed her talk with Moonracer, Luna paid closer attention to what was being said about her in the palace halls and indeed there was much talk of her "nightly activities". Much _scandalous _talk at that! So many distasteful rumors behind her back and hushed tones whenever she walked by. So many, in fact, that it put her in a sour mood even as she walked alongside Sky during their nightly stroll. A fact that was not lost on the young unicorn.

"Luna, is something wrong?" Sky asked softly.

At first Luna didn't respond right away for fear of upsetting her friend but despite that she found she couldn't control herself.

"Of _course_ there is something wrong!" she bellowed, causing not only Sky to jump in surprise but the few ponies around them that were still out. "There is _always_ something wrong!"

"Well...what is it is this time?" the unicorn asked sheepishly even as she rubbed her now sore ear.

"Moonracer was correct is what!" Luna snapped. "After our conversation that night I listened to the guards and other nobleponies and they do indeed spread malicious and scandalous rumors about us! They believe you are my...courtesan."

"W-what? How could they think that?" Sky exclaimed in embarrassed horror, a strong blush covering her cheeks.

"Because they have no respect for me _or_ you!" the princess sneered. "It is quite typical though. My sister is allowed to have as many ponies as she wants around her and nopony thinks a thing of it. But _I_ finally make _one _friend and those lecherous nobleponies and traitorous guards try to make something indecent out of it! Am I not _allowed_ to have friends? Am I not _allowed_ to be happy?"

"Of _course_ you are! Luna you really must stop listening to those misguided and ignorant ponies. They don't know you like I know you."

Luna looked at her friend for a moment before she lowered her head and let out a quick sigh.

"I suppose you are right," she admitted. "Even so I simply wish-"

"No! I don't _want_ to go!"

They turned their attention to the shrill voice that had cut off Luna's next words and saw a young mare gently pushing her wildly flailing and screaming child from behind.

"We have to go sweetheart. It's dark out so that means it's time for bed," the mother desperately pleaded with her child. "Besides you don't know what kind of awful things could be lurking in the darkness."

"What?" Luna shouted indignantly, this time earning _their_ attention.

"P-princess!" the mother stuttered in shame and horror. "I...I...didn't..."

While his mother stumbled over her words, the young colt had no such problems expression his feelings.

"You!" he shouted angrily as he ran up to Luna. "You keep making it dark so I have to go home and sleep instead of playing with my friends! Why can't you be nice and happy like the other princess? You're just a big meanie!"

He punctuated his statement by raising his right front hoof and landed the perfect blow on Luna's shin right above her metal hoofwear. The Alicorn let out a shriek of pain and started to wave her injured leg to try to dull its throbbing before she cast an enraged glare down upon the child that made him instantly regret his actions.

"IMPUDENT WHELP! YOU WOULD _DARE_ STRIKE YOUR PRINCESS?" she screamed, easily slipping into a much more angered version of the Royal Voice.

His mother quickly ran over to him and wrapped her front hoof around him in a protective hug before inching away from the enraged monarch.

"P-please forgive him princess. He-he is only a child," she begged.

"THEN PERHAPS _YOU_ SHOULD PAY FOR HIS ACTIONS SINCE YOU DO NOT SEEM TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL HIM!"

"No! Don't take my mommy away!" the child pleaded, holding his mother close and shaking violently.

"Luna, you can't!" Dark Sky said, trying to talk some sense into her friend.

She stopped, however, when Luna turned her rage filled glowing eyes unto her. She had never seen so much anger built up in a pony before, not even herself, and it took her by surprise and filled her with fear. She stumbled backwards herself just a bit, afraid of what might happen next. Thankfully, Luna saw the fear on her friend's face and it ebbed her anger just slightly. She still needed to get _some_ of it out though.

"YOU TWO! BE GONE FROM OUR SIGHT OR WE SHALL HAVE YOU _BOTH_ THROWN IN THE DUNGEON! OR BANISHED FROM THE LAND! OR THROWN IN A DUNGEON IN THE PLACE WE BANISHED YOU TO!"

"No, no! We shall leave princess. We shall leave at once!" the mother said quickly before she tossed her child onto her back and ran for her home as quickly as her four legs would carry her.

Even as they retreated into the night, Luna's anger still raged white hot inside her. She had experienced bouts of anger before from all the whispers and rumors about her and especially from the lack of respect she received but they were never this bad before. She could usually calm down quickly afterwards but for whatever reason she couldn't now. The worst of all is she wasn't sure if she even _wanted_ to.

That is until a single voice called out to her.

"Luna?" Sky asked again cautiously.

This time when she looked at the unicorn, Luna's eyes finally stopped glowing white and she seemed a little more calm. But only a little.

"I am sorry I frightened you," she apologized, even if her voice was still tense. "I did not wish to hurt you. But _them_," she looked off in the direction of the fleeing family. "I _did_ want to hurt."

"You can't be serious!" Sky exclaimed.

"Oh but I can and AM! You _saw _what they did! The child disrespected me! The mother said my night was something to be feared! And they are _not_ the only ones! Everypony believes so! They run from my night! They _hide_ from it! No matter what I do, no matter how friendly I try to be, everypony wants to treat me like some sort of _monster_!" Her eyes began to glow faintly again and her body trembled ever-so-slightly as her anger built once more. "Worst of all, they also mock and disgrace the only pony who has _ever_ been kind to me! That, that I will _not_ let go unanswered!"

A small blush of flattery and embarrassment formed on Dark Sky's cheeks after that statement.

"Luna...I appreciate it, but...it's alright," she tried to convince her friend.

"No it is _not_!" Luna insisted, slamming on hoof onto the ground and causing it to shake slightly. "Are _you_ not tired of all the mockery and resentment that comes your way because of your condition?"

"Of course I am! But what can _we_ do to change everypony's opinion of us?"

"Apparently we can do nothing," the Alicorn said with a slight frown.

It quickly turned into a rather wicked smirk as an equally wicked plan started to form in her head.

"But if we can not _change_ their opnion then we shall simply have to _embrace _it!" she concluded.

"What do you mean?" Sky asked in confusion.

"If they truly do believe us to be monsters then we shall _become_ monsters and show them the meaning of true fear!"

"What?" the unicorn shrieked in disbelief. "Luna that's...that's crazy! How would we even _begin_ to do something like that?"

Luna's lips twisted up even further into a truly maniacal grin and her eyes narrowed in cold determination.

"Oh I believe I know the perfect creature to help us," she said in a low, menacing voice.

"W-who?" Sky asked, her uncertainty growing by the minute.

"Follow me and I'll show you. Then _we_ will show all of Equestria!"

Luna let out a surprisingly evil laugh as she started to walk off with a still confused and slightly frightened Dark Sky behind her. The unicorn wasn't sure what was happening to her friend but she knew she couldn't abandon her now. She had to help her in anyway she could even if that meant becoming "monsters" like she said. A prospect that both terrified and yet intrigued her at the same time. She didn't know what was going to happen but she was sure that after this night, nothing would ever be the same again.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

After leaving the castle grounds, the two trekked through the forest with only the light of Luna's moon to guide them. Or at least Luna had the light of her moon as the ever-present dark cloud over Sky's head forced her to use her horn to illuminate the path in front of her. Even then there wasn't much to look at aside from a jagged, winding path surrounded by trees and shrubs.

"Where are we going again?" Sky asked as she continued to look cautiously around her.

"To the swamp just beyond this forest," Luna answered briskly.

"The swamp? Why there?"

"Because that is where _he_ is."

"'He'? 'He' who?"

"Discord," she said just as a clap of thunder struck behind them.

Sky looked around for any signs of a Pegasus or even a cloud that could have been used to produce the bolt but found neither.

"Huh. That was...strange," she muttered before she quickened her pace to walk alongside Luna. "So who is Discord?"

Luna ignored the other seemingly impossible lighting bolt as she started to explain.

"He is more like a 'what' than a 'who'," she clarified. "From what my sister told me he is the living embodiment of chaos and his very presence can affect the world in strange ways."

"How strange?"

"From what I have been told he turned the sky a rather strange green color and transformed the ground into a some kind of soft pudding. Then made many of my sister's guards act like dogs. One of them he gave a pumpkin head, which I must admit was quite amusing," she said with a tiny chuckle.

"That sounds...strange. But if he still exists then why do these things not effect us now?" Sky asked.

"Because my sister and the guardians used the Elements of Harmony to greatly diminish his power and seal him away in a cave near the end of the swamp."

"How do you know all this?"

"Because I was there when he first appeared. I wanted to help my sister and the guardians but she said I was too young and inexperienced with my power. Which was one of the first times she underestimated me but it certainly wouldn't be the last," the Alicorn growled with a furrowed brow.

"It sounds more like she was trying to protect you," Sky offered.

"But I am just as powerful as her! I do not _need_ protecting!" she shouted angrily, causing the unicorn to jump back in surprise.

"Alright, alright I know, I know! But if you weren't there then how do you know where Discord is being held?"

Luna paused a moment to consider that fact. "I...do not know. I just...feel it somehow," she revealed.

"Doesn't that strike you as a bit odd?" Sky pointed out, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

The princess brought a hoof up to rub her chin in thought for the briefest of moments but quickly banished it way with a shake of her head.

"Bah! It does not matter. In fact, it makes our journey all the more easy. We shall complete our task this very night!" she declared, the maniacal glee from earlier returning to her voice.

With renewed energy, Luna galloped forward through the path and almost left Sky behind her.

"Hey wait up!" the unicorn shouted before she took off to catch up to her friend.

A little while later, the pair found themselves in the murky swamplands outside the forest. The dark green water bubbled unnaturally around the patches of moss and twisted tree roots running through it. A pungent aroma filled their nostrils and made them briefly gag.

"I'm getting less and less enthused about this idea as we go on," Sky remarked.

"But we are so close! Look there is the cave now!" Luna exclaimed as she pointed to the other side of the murky swamp.

Indeed on the opposite bank, Sky could see the entrance to a dark cave with strange runes etched along its mouth. Despite the markings it seemed harmless enough and easy to get into...once they crossed over the swamp water that is.

"How are we supposed to get across _that_?" the unicorn demanded, pointing to the disgusting water below them.

"Ahem," Luna merely coughed as she flexed her wings.

"Oh. Right."

With a slight smirk, Luna levitated off the ground then carefully picked Sky up before she flew them both over the swamp and to the cave entrance on the other side. Once in front of it they could both feel a very powerful magic aura enveloping the cave wall which was no doubt how the monster inside was kept at bay. Wanting to verify this, Sky slowly reached her right hoof towards the cave's mouth then instantly withdrew it when she felt a shock on the tip.

"Ow!" she yelped then shook her now sore appendage. "So now what do we do?"

Luna didn't answer as she was too busy studying the runes on along the walls of the entrance. She recognized six of them as the symbols for the Elements of Harmony right away while the others seemed to be ancient Equestrian that she had learned about when she was a foal.

"It seems we can not break this seal without the Elements of Harmony," she informed her friend.

"Which there's no way we can do without letting your sister and the guardians know what we're up to," Sky pointed out.

"True but it does appear that while we cannot _break_ the seal, a member of the royal family can _weaken _it enough to step inside without releasing Discord."

"How do you do that?"

Once again Luna didn't answer. Instead she merely closed her eyes and took a deep breath to help her concentrate. Her horn shone brightly and Dark Sky watched as some of the runes began to light up sequentially in response. The ones representing the Elements stayed dim but the others continued to glow brighter and brighter in synch with Luna's horn until the cave mouth itself flashed and a wall of brilliant, fluctuating colors appeared before them. Out of that wall of color a small hole slowly slipped open near the bottom that clearly showed the darkness of the cave within.

"There!" Luna said in a strained voice. "We should be able to get through that passage. But we must do it quickly, this takes a lot of concentration."

Sky nodded then hurried through the opening with Luna close behind. Once inside, another flash caused the wall to vanish behind them but they could still feel its presence. They looked back at where it was then towards the inner darkness of the cave then towards each other. They each gave a silent nodded of agreement to indicate that they both knew there was no turning back now before they lit their horns and walked further into the surprisingly large cave. They walked several feet in silence and semi-darkness with only their hooves and horns providing any sounds or light when an unexpected voice suddenly called out to them.

"Oh I have visitors. And I haven't turned the lights on yet. How rude of me. Here allow me to correct that little oversight," the voice said with a surprisingly playful tone.

A light snapping sound was heard before several torches along the walls ignited in unison to provide more than enough light for the two ponies to see their surroundings and their host. Sky let out a scream of shock and horror at the sight before her. This "Discord" certainly lived up to his name just on his appearance alone. He was an amalgamation of several different animals from ponies to goats to eagles and she could even see some dragon in there. In fact there was a _lot_ of dragon in there and that really set her on edge. Even the single snaggletoothed fang he had would have seemed comical on another creature but it somehow made him seem even more sinister. It might have had something to do with the fact that it was currently on display in a very wicked smirk as he tented his fingertips while he studied the pair.

"Well, well, well, now isn't _this_ a surprise?" he remarked with the same amused tone as earlier. "Well not really as _I_ knew you were coming to see me, but I'm sure it's a surprise for you and it would definitely be a surprise for your dear sister, wouldn't it? How _is _Celestia doing these days, hmmm? _She_ never comes to visit me."

"I am not here to speak about my sister Discord," Luna snarled as another clap of thunder could be heard outside.

"Seriously what _is_ that?" Sky grumbled, her annoyance overriding her fear at the moment.

"Oh but you _are_ here about your sister, aren't you?" Discord practically purred as he moved closer to the younger princess. "That's what's driving you to see me after all. Because nopony in all of Equestria will give the same amount of respect that they give to Celestia to Wittle Wuna."

"DO _NOT_ CALL ME NAMES MONSTER! AND YOU WILL SHOW THE SECOND PRINCESS OF EQUESTRIA AND THE RULER OF THE NIGHT THE PROPER RESPECT SHE DESERVES!" Luna blared, nearly deafening all of them as her booming voice echoed off the cave walls.

"Oh calm down with the Royal Voice," Discord waved off in annoyance. "For one I don't really need my eardrums blasted out on top of being stuck in this dingy cave, and two I'm not one of your little subjects so I don't _have_ to answer to you." He then smirked as he leaned closer to her, running a finger down her cheek. "But then again _none _of your so-called 'loyal' subjects answer to you, do they?"

"Do not _touch_ me!" Luna snarled as she drew back in disgust. "And my subjects answer to me just fine!"

"Oh Luna please. You can lie to me, you can lie to your friend here, but don't lie to yourself," he chided her as he crossed his arms over his thin chest. "If that were the case you wouldn't be here at all."

"How do you know all this?" Sky asked in confusion.

The mismatched creature turned his attention to her at that question.

"Because my dear, even though I am locked away in this dingy cave and my power's been greatly reduced I still have enough left over to keep a watch over Equestria to help pass the time away. So I know all sorts of things about really interesting ponies," he answered as he slithered up to her. "Just as I know how lonely and bitter you felt before making friends with the princess here."

"I...I..." Sky stuttered, hanging her head as those old feelings began to come back to her.

"Leave her alone! Your business with _me_ not _her_!" Luna snapped at him.

"Aahhh but I believe I can help you _both_ out," he informed as he pressed himself closer to the unicorn. "I mean you _do_ want to help your friend as well as yourself, don't you princess?"

"Of course I do!" she nodded.

"And I believe this filly here can be of great use to you."

"I can?" Sky asked.

"Of course you can my dear. You have far more magical potential than your realize in this little horn right here," he told her as he gave the tip of her horn a light tap.

The horn, along with her eyes, flashed for barely a second under his touch just before he pulled away from her.

"You're right. I do. I _knew _my talents were being overlooked by my parents," she said in a surprisingly bitter tone.

"And what cruel parents they must have been. Naming you 'Dark Sky' just because of your unfortunate condition," Discord continued to prod her, his voice wavering in mock sympathy.

"They _never_ cared for me! They treated me as much of a freak as anypony else did! The only pony to _ever_ show me any hint of kindness before was..." she paused and her expression soften a bit as she looked at Luna. "Was you Luna. That's why I'm here. Whatever you want to do, you'll have my full support."

Now it was Luna's turn to be suspicious and unsure at her friend's sudden change of heart. Though those feelings were quickly replaced with ones of anger towards Discord at the thought that he might have hurt her.

"What did you do to her?" she demanded.

"Me? Do? Why I am _offended_ by the allegation!" Discord gaffed before he crossed his arms over his chest again and turned his back on the princess. "You know I _was_ going to help you in your quest but if _this_ is how you're going to treat me then I don't think I want to anymore. So go on, get out," he waved at them over his shoulder. "You know where the door is, don't let it hit your plot on the way out."

Luna hesitated for a moment. There _was_ a part of her that was beginning to regret this decision, as if it were warning her against trusting this creature, but majority of her mind was still overrun by all the anger and bitterness she had felt for so long now at being treated like she was second best. Like she was _half_ the pony her sister was.

"No," she said determinedly. "I promised myself that things would change tonight and I will stand by that promise!"

A sly smile crossed Discord's lips before he spun back around to face the younger princess with a much more jubilant expression on his face.

"Wonderful!" he cheered then reached down to take Luna's left hoof into both hands and shook it vigorously. "Great to have you on board Luna! I promise you you won't regret this decision one bit!"

Luna's whole body shook with the motion before she pulled her hoof away and glared at him.

"I had _better_ not!" she warned. "Now what can you do to help me?"

"Oooh feisty! I like it!" Discord mused before he sat down in his stone throne again. "And that is a very excellent question my dear. First let's look at what Celestia has over you that helps her enforce her tyranny."

"The Guardians," Luna answered quickly. "They side with her above me."

"And they can use the Elements of Harmony," Dark Sky added.

"You're _both_ correct!" Discord remarked as he jabbed a finger in the air. "So now the question becomes what can _you_ do to overcome them?"

Both ponies were silent as they tried to find an answer to his question. His smile widened behind his tented fingers at their desperation. He had them right where he wanted them.

"Exactly! Nothing!" he proclaimed, drawing their attention again. "Right now there is nothing either of you two can do to counter the Elements of Harmony."

"What game are you playing Discord?" Luna snapped at him. "You said you could help us and yet you claim we can do nothing to stand against the Elements?"

"Ah but if you'd listen _closely_ to what I said Princess, you'd realize I said that as of right now there is nothing you two can do to stop them. But I can provide you with something that _can_ stand against those dreaded Elements of-pffft-Harmony."

"What might that be?" Dark Sky ventured.

"Oh just a little something I've been working on since my imprisonment here. Something to counter the Elements on their own turf. Fighting fire with fire as it were."

"And why might these supposed items be?" Luna asked.

"Why my very own Elements of course!" Discord proclaimed proudly. "Elements that perfectly counter the ones that your sister and her Guardians use. Made especially from my own...unique aura they are quite literally the Elements of Discord!"

He then snapped his fingers again and six gemstones appeared in the air above his right hand. True to his word they bore a striking resemblance to the ones in the necklaces the Guardians wore but were much darker and seemed to pulsate with an unnatural air. They spun slowly in a circle as he continued talking.

"Just as the other Elements represent good virtues these ones represent...less than noble aspects. Treachery, Dishonesty, Selfishness, Cruelty, Anger and, my personal favorite, Curses," he explained.

"But how can we use them? Won't we need other five other ponies to bear them like the Guardians do?" Dark Sky asked.

"And if they _are_ so powerful then why have you not used them to escape yourself?" Luna questioned.

"Well to answer that second question first, it's because they are a part of me and as I said my powers have been greatly diminished inside this cave. _Outside_, however, they should be more than powerful enough to stand up to the Elements of Harmony _and_ your sister," he assured her before he looked towards Dark Sky. "As for your question, my dear, all the Elements can be used by just _one_ pony but Celestia prefers to separate to powers in the name of 'fair play'. Pffft! Have you ever heard of anything so ridiculous?"

"So you're saying if their power is transferred to just _one_ pony then they'll be stronger than even the Guardians when they work together," the unicorn reasoned out.

"Exactly!" Discord cheered then looked to Luna. "She's a smart cookie this one, I can see why you like her."

"But _how_ can we use these Elements of yours?" Luna asked, ignoring the compliment.

"Easy," he remarked then snapped his fingers again causing a thick book to appear above the gems. "This tome will teach you everything you need about them and give you the incantation needed to activate them. Along with some other spells and curses you might find interesting."

He levitated the items over to Dark Sky where she was just about to catch them with her own levitation magic when a saddlebag suddenly appeared on her flank. The Elements of Discord and the book all floated down safely into the left bag which then buckled itself securely shut.

"There you are Luna. Now you'll have everything you need to take your rightful place as the lone ruler of Equestria. Go show that tyrannical Celestia who's _really_ in charge around here!" Discord encouraged with a punch to the air.

"Oh I will. Believe me I will," Luna muttered her own malicious grin suddenly matching his before she and Dark Sky turned to leave the cave.

"Well..._this_ should be good for some laughs," Discord mused to himself before he dissolved into a fit of maniacal laughter.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Once they left the cave and flew back over the swamp, the two made their way through the woods and back to the castle even quicker than when they had left. It was partly due to their newfound familiarity with the area and partly due to a strange exuberance they suddenly both felt. Just what had come over them they weren't sure but they intended to use this newfound energy to enact out their plans _tonight_! When they arrived back at the castle, they easily snuck passed the few night guards out on duty and made their way to the lowest depths of the castle towards an old summoning room where unicorns from times forgotten practiced all manner of bizarre rituals. The residual magical energy made it the prefect place to channel the full power of the Elements of Discord.

Upon entering the room, Dark Sky made her way towards the altar at the other end and took out the tome Discord had given them and searched for the incantation they would need. Surprisingly she knew exactly where to look and so they were quick to begin the process. First they used their unicorn powers to etch out a large circle in the middle of the floor then filled it with the intricate patterns displayed in the book. Next they laid out the gemstones in their specified markers before Luna stepped into the middle of the circle and Dark Sky took her place back at the altar.

"Alright, now that everything is prepared and if this book is correct then all I should have to do is read this last incantation and it will give you the gems' powers," she explained before she looked at Luna again. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"I have been ready for this for far too long now," Luna told her.

The unicorn nodded in complete understanding then turned her attention to the book once more. She used her right hoof to skim through the other incantations before she found the one she needed. She cleared her throat and took a deep calming breath before she began to read it aloud.

"Ancient Spirits of Evil," she started slowly which already caused the gemstones to glow and stand up on their ends. "Lend us your strength. Lend us your might. Lend us your power!"

With each subsequent verse the gems began to glow brighter and levitate into the air. Small bolts of light began to shoot out between them, running along the circle until they completely encapsulated Luna.

"Channel your power through these vessels and use them to transform this weak creature into a being of unimaginable terror."

The gems the shot down a beam of light towards the markings on the diagram below which then traveled along it's various etchings until it reached Luna herself who was quickly swallowed up by the light. Her form lifted limply into the air as another set of light beams shot out from the Elements of Discord and all hit Luna. The brightly-lit outline then began to mutate and stretch as Dark Sky completed the incantation.

"Let the weak being who once resided inside this hallowed circle be no more. Instead let them be reborn into the ultimate controller of The Darkness, the eternal enemy of The Light. Give them your power we beg of you!"

One more bright flash filled the room at the incantation's completion, causing Dark Sky to shield her eyes and stumble off the altar. She then heard a series of thuds that she believed to be the gems and the princess hitting the stone floor. A soft moaning made her aware that there was still another presence in the room and she took the opportunity to carefully open her eyes. Her vision was still a bit blurry so all she could make out in front of her was a large, black and blue blur standing before her.

"Luna?" she asked in concern.

"No," the creature asked in a deeper voice than the Princess's. "Not anymore. The weak little Princess Luna has been banished. In her stead stands the Empress of the Night, Nightmare Moon!"

Upon hearing this declaration, Dark Sky's vision cleared and she fully saw the new Alicorn standing before her. She was now just as tall as Celestia with a pitch-black coat and thicker, more jagged armor covering her including a new helmet in place of her crown. While her Cutie Mark seemed more or less the same her mane and tail were completely changed. The star patterns from before were more prevalent and they looked much more ethereal. They flowed majestically around her and at times lashed out as if they were alive, like a pair of snakes which perfectly fitted her new serpent-like eyes. In the sight of such a magnificently dark and regal looking creature the unicorn could think of only one thing to do.

"I am at your service my Empress," she said with a graceful bow.

"NO!" Nightmare Moon chided her.

Dark Sky jumped up in a panic.

"Did-did I do something wrong your majesty?" she asked sheepishly, planting her face in the floor even more.

"Yes, you did something _very _wrong," the dark Alicorn growled as she walked over to her.

She then reached out with a newly armored hoof and placed it under Dark Sky's chin before she gently lifted her head to look up at her. Surprisingly, the unicorn saw not scorn on the Empress' face but rather a gentle amusement.

"_You_ will never need to bow to me my friend," Nightmare Moon said softly as she helped Dark Sky up.

"I...I don't?" she asked in confusion.

"Of course not. It is you who helped me achieve this new form and power after all. Despite my transformation the one thing that will remain is that you are now and will forever be my friend. So that means no bowing."

"Then I apologize. I just assumed you wanted a loyal subject," Dark Sky clarified.

"Of course I do. But _you_ are not my subject. If you must have a title outside of my friend then perhaps my...apprentice will do. Do you like the sound of that?" Nightmare Moon asked.

"Very much so!" the unicorn nodded eagerly.

"Then it's settled. You are now my apprentice which means no bowing for _you_," the taller pony corrected as she placed a foreleg around her friend and then held the other up high. "But together _we_ will make the rest of Equestria bow to _us_!"

She followed up her declaration with a bout of maniacal laughter that Dark Sky was quick to share in. Their laughs echoed throughout the room and down the hallways of the castle as an ominous shadow slowly descended upon the land.

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Notes: **Alright so _still_ not done with this flashback yet. I really wanted to try to just make it two chapters but I also thought it just worked better thematically to end the chapter here. Plus I realize it's been two months since I've updated this story and just wanted to get something up before the end of March. Which is kind of fitting given that I posted the first chapter to this fic on March 29th of LAST YEAR! I've been working on this thing for almost a _year_ and it's _still_ not finished! And hell we still got a _loooong_ way to go people! This is definitely the longest I've worked on a fic by myself. A big thank you goes out to everyone who's stuck by me for this long.

I should also send out a big apology for the wait for this chapter. I took a break from writing during the holidays to visit with family and just kind of take a breather but that seems to have messed up my momentum and it took forever to get over the massive writer's block I was facing. Which was doubly irritating for this chapter as these were scenes I've had in mind since the beginning of the story.

Well except for the one with Discord. Obviously when I started there _was_ no Discord and the one who gave Luna and Sky the book was in fact going to be another OC pony. But then Discord came along and I found an opportunity to tie it all together and went with it. Of course this now _firmly_ plants this fic as an AU since none of this stuff matched up to what happened in the season two opener. But that's the danger in writing a fic for a show that's still going. Just gotta learn to adapt.

Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to get out but it _does_ have a fairly big battle scene that I'm still trying to work out in my head so...yeah might be awhile. Pony battles are hard! Especially when you have unicorn magic and whatnot in the mix. Still I hope I'll be able to give you all a satisfactory conclusion to this little trip to the past so we can all get back to the present and see how Twilight and the gang will handle Dark Sky and her crew.

So till next time. See ya!


	9. That Fateful Night

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

**The Elements of Discord**

**Chapter 9: That Fateful Night**

During the day the throne room of Canterlot Castle is hub of activity. From noble ponies requesting an audience to farmers bringing gifts to show their gratitude to even the Guardians themselves simply being around her, there was an almost constant influx of ponies vying for Celestia's attention. During the night, though, it was a much different story. Usually there was only one lonely princess in the room with only the occasional night guard checking in to keep her company.

This night was different as there was currently nopony on the throne and in fact the room itself was completely empty. This was quickly rectified when a cloud of star-filled blue smoke began to rise up through the cracks in the floor. It hovered over the throne for a moment before it broke into two pieces with one being smaller than the other. The larger cloud stayed above the throne while the smaller floated next to it. Soon the clouds began to swirl and take pony shapes before they finally pulled back to reveal the forms of the newly created Nightmare Moon and her companion Dark Sky. The remnants of the cloud still hung over the dark Alicorn's head and back to act as her mane and tail. While Nightmare Moon seemed quite all right from the unusual mode of transportation, Dark Sky seemed a little dazed.

"What...was that?" she asked, swaying back and fourth a bit.

"Just one of my many new powers," Nightmare Moon replied casually. "Powers that will help me take down my sister and her Guardians and rule Equestria for all time! HAHAAHHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Just one problem. There's nopony here," the unicorn pointed out with a wave of her hoof to the empty room.

This simple statement stopped the mad mare's tirade of maniacal laughter and she gave her friend a slight look of annoyance.

"Well of _course_ there isn't! Everypony is asleep after all," she snapped.

"So are we just going to wait until morning to attack Celestia and the others?"

"Of course not. In fact, I believe the perfect messenger for our arrival should be arriving just...about...now!"

The word "now" had barely left Nightmare Moon's lips when a guard came walking up the steps that led into the throne room. When he stepped into the room he stopped in understandable shock at the sight of two ponies he had never seen before inside the room.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" he demanded, his horn glowing as he prepared himself for a fight.

"You wouldn't be able to understand how I got in here," Nightmare Moon dismissed casually. "As for who I am, that is quite simple. I am your new ruler. Now go fetch your _Princess_ and tell her to come here and pay homage to her new _Empress. _And bring those "Guardians" with her. I wish to have a word with them as well."

The unicorn guard simply continued to stand there in a slack jacked surprise at the audacity of the creature before him.

"Well, you heard her. GO!" Dark Sky shouted before she used her own magic to push the guard out of the room and down the stairs. She then looked back up at her friend. "Too much?"

"No I think you handled that quite well," Nightmare Moon reassured her in an amused tone.

"So what do we do now?"

"We wait..."

They didn't have to wait too long as within mere moments Celestia and the Guardians stormed into the room themselves. Like the night guard before them they were shocked at the new Alicorn sitting on the Princesses' shared thrown. For Celestia though, her shock turned to anger surprisingly quick.

"Who are you? What are you doing on that throne? What have you done with my little sister!" she snarled, as her wings spread open and her horn started to glow.

Nightmare Moon sneered as she stepped off the throne and moved towards the other Alicorn.

"And there it is," she growled. "Not only was I _last_ in that list but you didn't even refer to me by name, only as 'your little sister'. That's all _anypony_ thought of me as when they even bothered to remember me at all! Well _no more_! Tonight nopony will _ever_ forget me again!"

Celestia's look of anger and concern turned to one of confusion with a quick blink at the dark mare's words. Although she had never met her before, this strange Alicorn seemed to speak to her with a very familiar tone. In fact there seemed to be something familiar about her overall. And the things she said, it was almost like it was...

"Luna?" Celestia asked, not entirely sure what answer she wanted to hear.

"Finally figured it out, did you? Well I shouldn't be surprised, you never _did_ pay too much attention to me," the black Alicorn snarled.

"That's not true! I was merely busy with royal duties! Perhaps... perhaps a bit _too_ involved I grant but I _never_ meant to make you feel neglected. Luna, I-"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Nightmare Moon screamed, her wings spreading out and celestial hair and tail swirling erratically around her. "I am no longer Luna! Now I am Nightmare Moon, Empress of Darkness!"

Celestia stood stark still, completely dumbfounded by everything that was happening. Her little sister had somehow become this..._thing _standing in front of her. She was so... angry. More so than she had ever seen Luna before. They had certainly had their arguments in the past but it was never anything like _this_! This new anger along with her change in appearance and name really did make it seem like she was a completely different pony. One Celestia had never seen before and was certain she didn't like.

She was also certain that something or some_pony_ else had to be responsible for this change. Luna would _never_ become something like this "Nightmare Moon" on her own. It was then that Celestia noticed that there _was_ another pony behind Luna. Some unicorn she had never seen before.

"You!" she shouted, glaring death at the dark blue unicorn. "Who are you? Did _you_ do this to her?"

"Me?" Dark Sky cried out in surprise and indignation. "I never-"

"_Do not_ blame her for _your_ failures dear sister!" Nightmare Moon growled, stepping in between her friend and her sister. "_You _brought this all on yourself! Ignoring me. Neglecting me. Not even bothering to get to know the _one_ pony who was actually my friend!"

As she continued her rant, Nightmare Moon's ethereal mane and tail swirled around her violently, creating an air of menace that kept the seven ponies at bay. Of course Celestia's hesitation was also brought on by her continued confusion. She just couldn't understand how all of this was happening. How could it have reached this point? More importantly what could she do to stop this and get her little sister back?

Unfortunately, she couldn't think of any answers to those questions. So for the first time the Princess of Equestria, the Bringer of the Sun felt completely and utterly helpless.

Thankfully, one of her loyal subjects was quick to act in her stead as Moonracer stepped forward between the two Alicorns.

"So was _I_ not your friend as well then?" the teal coated Pegasus asked quietly and with a hint of sadness.

This time is was Nightmare Moon who paused in the face of a surprising remark and raging storm of her hair and tail died down a bit as she calmed slightly.

"Of course you are Moonracer. You were the _only_ one out of these so called 'Guardians' that ever treated me like they treated Celestia," she explained, giving a pointed glare at the other five ponies behind her sister.

"Hey! That's not-" Firestar started but was stopped by a gentle hoof on her shoulder from Rainmaker.

The red unicorn looked at her friend in frustration and confusion but the shake of the Pegasus' head was enough to clam her. For now.

Nightmare Moon continued to glare at the group, especially Firestar, for a moment longer before she turned her attention back to Moonracer.

"Because of this I'm willing to give you one chance to join Dark Sky and I as we create an everlasting night. You always said you enjoyed my moon and now you can enjoy it forever."

"But the moon is not supposed to be out forever," Moonracer countered. "Plants would die. Ponies would freeze. The moon _must_ fade in the daylight just as the sun _must_ set in the nighttime. They were meant to work together just as you and your sister were meant to rule together."

"Does that meant you will _not _join me?" the black Alicorn asked with growing irritation.

The Pegasus lowered her head in shame and shook it slowly.

"No," she said softly before she looked up into Nightmare Moon's eyes. "But only because you are _not_ Luna. My friend would _never_ do anything so vile."

Nightmare Moon let out a sorrowful sigh as she closed her eyes and hung her own head. She was still for only a moment before her eyes popped back open and she glared hatefully at the pony in front of her.

"Then..." she whispered as her horn started to glow brightly, "...DIE!"

She then shot out several arcs of energy that struck the seven assembled ponies and sent them flying backwards across the room. At first even Celestia was flung helplessly back as the attack caught her by surprise but when she regained her composure she was able to use her own power to counteract those of Nightmare Moon's and keep them all from being forced down the steps. Unfortunately, they all still landed in a rather undignified heap when she dispelled the attack.

"Alright, now it's my turn!" Firestar snapped before she jumped up and ran towards the dark mare.

She stopped halfway between herself and Nightmare Moon then scraped her metal covered hoof along the floor to create the necessary spark for her magic to send a wall of flames towards her opponent. The Alicorn seemed rather unimpressed by the feat even as Dark Sky huddled over in fear of being burned alive. To her great surprise her fear ended up being unfounded as Nightmare Moon merely erected a force field around the two of them that caused the flames to go flying around them. Of course her surprise was nothing compared to that of Firestar who gaffed at the block at first but then quickly sent out another torrent of flame with her other hoof. Again the attack was blocked which only caused the red unicorn's temper to flare up like the fire she controlled and to send even more bursts of flame at the other mare. Throughout the attack Nightmare Moon kept a cool head and even yawned in a mocking manner.

"Did someone leave a fire unattended somewhere? It feels a bit warm in here," she remarked with a taunting grin.

Firestar growled before releasing one last wall of flames from both her front hooves that still could not breach the magical barrier. After which she finally gave a defeated sigh then turned to her comrades.

"Okay, I'm all out of ideas, anypony else have something?" she asked.

"Yes. In fact we all do," Shooting Star said as she stood up and walked over to the other unicorn. "The Elements of Harmony, remember?"

Firestar quirked and eyebrow before she looked down at the bejeweled amulet hanging from her neck.

"Oh. Right," she muttered sheepishly.

"Right," Shooting Star returned a bit irritably. "Which we could have used by now if _somepony_ hadn't charged ahead like she always does."

"Hey it's not _my_ fault the rest of you can't keep up with me! Fires burn quickly!"

"You just _control_ fire you're not actually-"

"Girls! Can we stop the bickering and focus on the task at hoof?" Deep Dive asked as she and the others surrounded the two.

"Oh don't stop on my account. I'm finding this all _very _amusing," Nightmare Moon chuckled.

Shooting Star glared at the dark empress before she nodded to her fellow Guardians. They all returned the nod in silent understanding before Rainmaker and Moonracer took the air and hovered above the other four. Torchlight and Deep Dive then took positions on either side of Shooting Star and Firestar so that the two unicorns were in between the two Earth ponies. This formation also succeeded in creating a barrier between their enemy and the princess. The jewels in the necklaces and tiara then began to glow brightly just before they shot out multicolored beams of light towards Nightmare Moon.

The Alicorn strengthened her shield against the attack but despite her "unlimited power" she still felt herself being pushed back again. She groaned in concentrated effort as beams continued to beat down on her and even started to crack her shield a bit.

"Luna!" Dark Sky cried out in fear and concern as she started to run over to her friend.

"No! Stay back! I can do this!" Nightmare Moon shouted back at her.

"But I can help you!" the unicorn pleaded desperately.

"But you don't need to put yourself at risk for me. As I said I..." her horn started to grow brighter, "...can..." her eyes followed suit as she concentrated her power even further "...do..." the cracks in the shield repaired themselves before it grew even stronger "...THIS!"

With that last outburst, not only did her shield completely repair itself but also repelled the Element's beam and sent them shooting back at their wielders, once again sending the six mares crashing to the floor. Nightmare Moon breathed heavily for a moment but still smirked as she looked up at her sister.

"You see? Not even your vaunted Guardians are a match for me," she taunted.

"Then perhaps it is time we settled this between ourselves sister," Celestia challenged as she stepped forward.

"Princess no, you can't..." Shooting Star pleaded with her weakly.

Celestia stopped and smiled down at the young mare.

"Time and again you six have defended my sister and I from all manner of threats. Now I shall return the favor and protect you from one. Even if that threat is my own sister," her resolve faded into sadness with that last line.

A sadness that was quickly replaced by frustration when Nightmare Moon's laugh cut through the room once again.

"Oh yes! _This_ is what I have waited for! Come dear sister, let us find which truly _is_ the most powerful, the day or the night!" the mad mare cackled.

Despite the vast amounts of power each sister wielded, their fight began like that of so many ponies before them; by charging full tilt at their opponent. They met in the center of the room and their collision cause of a backlash of power that exploded from around them, sending the Guardians flying around the throne room helpless for a third time while introducing Dark Sky to the idea of unwarranted flight. Nevertheless, the two sisters stayed perfectly in the middle of the destruction as they struggled against one another. They glared at each other and grit their teeth as they each pushed forward with as much power as they had in an effort to gain the advantage.

"Why must you continue to defy me?" Nightmare Moon snapped as she put more of her energy into pushing forward.

"Because I am trying to save our kingdom from you and you from yourself!" Celestia countered as she met the applied force.

Sparks began to fly from their horns from the amount of energy surging between the two.

"'Our' kingdom! Bah! You _never_ cared about me before now!"

"I have _always_ cared about you Luna!"

"I told you before to stop calling me that! I. Am. Nightmare. Moon!"

That last surge of anger gave her enough power to finally push Celestia away, flipping her to the floor. Once there, Nightmare Moon jumped on top of her prone body and started to rain blows down upon Celestia's face with her forehooves.

"You _never_ cared for me! You always _ignored_ me! You thought I was _weak_! _Helpless!_" she shouted with each hit she landed. "Well who's the helpless one now?"

"Not...ME!" Celestia growled between the blows before she sent a quick blast of magic through her horn and knocked Nightmare Moon off of her.

She then jumped up and pinned the dazed mare to the floor, trapping her head under her right front hoof.

"Now you will _listen_ to me!" she snapped coldly right into Nightmare Moon's ear. "Whatever lies that _beast _told you are completely unfounded!"

"_He_ didn't tell me anything! I-ugh!"

She was cut off by a quick jab to her throat.

"I said you will _listen_!" Celestia growled again. "I love you with all my heart Luna but I will _not_ allow you to endanger our subjects! That is _just_ what an endless night will do! Moonracer was right, it will kill the plants and freeze our subjects. If you wanted to your nights to be more acknowledged you should have come to me beforehoof. We could have created a celebration in honor of your lovely nights."

"Oh I _did_ come to you! Time and again I did! But you were either too busy or too tired or treating me like I was a foal to ever truly listen to me! Well, do I have your attention _now_ sister? Am I not worthy to stand before the all mighty Sun Goddess Celestia yet?"

"You _know_ that is not true! I have always seen you as my equal!"

"Stop...LYING!" Nightmare Moon shrieked in rage.

Again the power of her anger was enough to repel her sister but before she mounted an effective counter attack, Celestia hit her with another blast of magic that sent crashing into the wall just above the thrown. Nightmare Moon shook her head as she stood to clear it then melted into her mist form and faded through the floor once again. Celestia's eyes widened in surprise and she started to look around frantically to see where her sister might have disappeared to. And more importantly where she might reappear from. Unfortunately, the answer came in the form of Nightmare Moon rematerializing right behind her and kicking her full force with both of her hind legs. Now it was Celestia who was spiraling through the air and crashing into, and through, one of the nearby pillars. She picked herself up and shook her head to throw off the now lopsided crown before she launched herself at Nightmare Moon again.

While the two sisters continued to clash, the Guardians started to pick themselves up and regrouped. Naturally the first thing they noticed was the all-out brawl going on between the two most powerful ponies on the planet.

"We have to help Princess Celestia!" Shooting Star shouted urgently.

"Of course we do, but how?" Rainmaker asked. "Not even the Elements of Harmony could stand up to this Nightmare Moon."

"Doesn't look like Celestia is doing a much better job herself," Deep Dive noted as she watched the princess fall from another of Nightmare Moon's vicious attacks.

"Well there has to be _something_ we can do!" Torchlight screamed desperately.

"Well..." Shooting Star mused as she rubbed her chin.

"Well what? Star if you've got an idea then spit it out!" Firestar said impatiently.

"It's just...it's a little risky is all."

"How so?" Moonracer asked.

"Because despite the fact that we've had and used the Elements for so long we still don't know where they come from or what they're really capable of," the unicorn explained. "But the one thing I have noticed is that when we use them we use them beside each other but never _with _each other. We use them separately but not together. Not... in harmony."

"So you think if we combine our power we'll be able to stop Nightmare Moon?" Deep Dive suggested.

"Maybe. But I just don't know for sure," Shooting Star confessed.

"Wait, didn't you tell me before that crossing the beams would be a bad idea?" Torchlight asked.

The unicorn nodded. "Again we're just so unsure of what they can do that I thought crossing the beams would create _too_ much power."

"So what you're saying is... we could try it but we might not make it through this," Firestar stated bluntly.

Shooting Star merely closed her eyes and nodded softly. The other five looked between each other in shock and disbelief. But more importantly they looked to each for solidarity. Although Equestria was a mostly peaceful land, it still had its enemies that would love nothing more than to watch it burn. That of course meant attacking and killing the princesses. As the Guardians it was their job to protect the princesses. That meant risking their lives when they needed to. They had done so before when fighting Discord and now it seemed they may have to again. But this time something felt different. Not only because they were trying something they had never tried before but also because they were now attacking one of the princesses they were supposed to be protecting. No matter how they looked at it, it was a terrible situation and one that seemed to hang a dark cloud over the whole ordeal. Much like the literal dark cloud that was hanging over the castle for some reason. It seemed to personify the bad feeling they all had and the nagging suspicion that this might actually be not only the _first_ time they try this trick but the _last_ time as well.

In spite of this feeling they looked toward each other and slowly started to nod in silent agreement to the plan. All except for one...

"I _like_ this plan! I'm excited to be a part of it!" Torchlight said in her usual cheerful manner.

The others all chuckled in appreciation of her tireless efforts to cheer them up in even the darkest of hours.

"Also so what do we do?" Firestar asked Shooting Star.

"I think if the five of you stand in a circle around me and focus your beams on my tiara then with it and my own abilities I should be able to focus all of that power into a single blast and fire it at Nightmare Moon," she explained.

"So if you're the one being focused on how would that effect the rest of us?" Deep Dive asked.

"Like I said I don't know _what_ this will do. I might hurt Nightmare Moon, it might hurt the rest of you, it might just hurt me. But if _that's_ the case then I'd rather take the chance myself instead of seeing the rest of you get hurt," Shooting Star said sincerely. "Besides my tiara is the center piece of the Elements so it just makes sense."

"If you say so," Firestar scoffed. "So we ready to do this?"

"Not just yet. If this _is_ to be our finale battle then there is something I must do first," Rainmaker stated.

She then walked over to Firestar and much to everypony's great surprise, especially the fire-wielding unicorn's, she reached out with a hoof to draw her face close and give her a long passionate kiss. The others stood in utter wide-eyed shock of this action but of course nopony was more surprised than Firestar herself. She just stood completely still with her eyes twice their normal size until Rainmaker finally pulled back and stared sheepishly at her. For the longest time the reddish-orange unicorn continued to stand stalk still until finally her eyes focused and a small smile covered her face.

"You have the absolutely _worst_ timing ever," she remarked. "And if we get through this we have a _lot_ to talk about."

"Looking forward to it," Rainmaker replied with a wink before she turned her attention to Shooting Star. "So where do we stand again?"

"Huh?" the unicorn asked, still unsure of what she saw. She then shook her head to clear it and get back on track. "Right. Make a circle around me."

They did as they were instructed.

"Now just concentrate like you usually do on using your Element's power."

They nodded once again then closed their eyes and started to concentrate. Soon enough the familiar glow of their jewels lighting up started to fill the air. They glowed brighter and brighter until they eventually released their colored beams right towards Shooting Star who was concentrating on powering up her own Element. Like she had thought the beams were attracted directly to the tiara on her head and started to swirl together above her. What she _hadn't_ thought of, however, was the power swirling back to the other five, encapsulating them all then slowly lifting them into the air. A bubble of white light surrounded them as their bodies became lighter and started to overflow with energy. It was like nothing they had ever felt before. Certainly not like any other time they had used the Elements before. The only problem was that this power was starting to becoming more than they could handle and needed to be released soon.

"Princess!" Shooting Star shouted, locking her now glowing eyes on Celestia. "Move out of the way!"

At the sound of her name being called, Celestia turned her attention away from her struggle with Nightmare Moon just in time to check a sucker punch from the Night Empress. She was about to capitalize on her advantage when she noticed the bright bubble of light on the other side of the room.

"What is that?" she screamed in terror then looked down at her fallen sister. "What have you done?"

"I...don't know," Celestia whispered in shock herself.

"Please Princess, move out of the way!" Shooting Star shouted again.

Taking her guard's advice, Celestia quickly rolled along the floor right as the power around the six reached its peak and shot out in a giant, rainbow-like beam of light that struck Nightmare Moon directly. The twisted pony screamed out in terror and pain as this newly focused and immensely powerful energy started to tear down the foundation of her own power.

"LUNA!" Dark Sky cried out for fear of her friend before she started to rush to her aide.

"N-no Sky! St-stay back! It's...too much!" Nightmare Moon warned her.

Unfortunately, it was too late. She had reached the edge of the tornado of light that was surrounding her friend and that was enough to mingle with the dark energy now flowing through her own body. She let out her own scream as she felt parts of her body began to stiffen up and saw that slowly but surely she was turning to stone.

"Luna! Help me! Please! Help MEEEEE..."

Her screams eventually faded as the petrifying process made it's way up to her mouth and soon enough went all the way up to the tip of her horn. Nightmare Moon thrashed in horror and rage at the site of her friend now covered in stone.

"Sky! No! NOOOOOO!" she screamed, her own energy starting to fight back against the combined Elements'. "I'll kill you for this! I'll kill ALL of you!"

"Princess...even with this power... we can't hold her..." Shooting Star struggled to say.

Celestia still stared slightly dumbfounded at everything that was happening but she quickly regained her senses and stared resolutely at the creature thrashing around inside the brightly colored energy funnel.

"Then _I_ shall assist you," she stated determinedly.

She then channeled her own great power and focused it up into the beam. Their forces combined forces were enough to combat Nightmare Moon's powers but she still struggled against them. In that struggle, a stray blast shot through the roof and created a hole that revealed the dark Alicorn's revered moon. A sight which gave Celestia an idea on how to defeat this menace and perhaps regain her sister. Even if it was rather cruel.

"I have an idea! Can you allow me to take charge of this energy?" she asked Shooting Star.

"I have no idea!" the unicorn confessed.

"Then I suppose we'll have to find out together!"

With that she closed her eyes in concentration and sent even more of her power into the energy wave. Along with that power was her plan on how to hold the pony thrashing around inside the funnel. Reacting to that thought the swirling mass of color started to extend skyward until it reached the moon itself, linking its caretaker to it in a whole new way. Nightmare Moon herself could feel this connection starting to take shape and so thrashed around even more trying to prevent Celestia' plan from coming to light. She poured more of her own dark power into her counterattack which caused the castle around them to shake. Anypony that had not already been awoken by the sound of the battle was awake now and running for their lives. All they could see from the outside where brilliant flashes of lights coming from the windows of the throne room as well as a shaft of light shooting out of the hole in the roof.

On the inside Nightmare Moon could feel her power quickly draining as Celestia's spell started to take effect. She could feel herself being pulled towards the moon despite her fighting to the contrary. When the last of her power started to fade along with her body she cast one last, sorrowful look back at the statue that used to be her only friend.

"I'm sorry Sky. I'm so very sorry," she said softly.

"As am I sister," Celestia's voice broke through the funnel as did her face. "Please forgive me."

Nightmare Moon stared hatefully back into the Sun Goddess' eyes as she spoke only one word:

"Never."

Her physical form then completely vanished as it was changed into dark energy and was sucked up towards the moon. Before she was completely gone, however, she used the last bit of her remaining energy to send down one final blast that crashed against the rainbow tunnel and caused it to explosively dissipate. The shockwave flung the seven ponies around the room helplessly and destroyed much of the castle before it continued outwards to destroy the village just outside the castle as well as much of the countryside, leaving what was left of the grand structure on a precarious cliff. The wave continued to surge forward through the forest, twisting trees and creatures within until it finally seemed to rise up and settle above the whole area creating an even darker sky than the regular night sky.

Back inside what was left of the throne room, Celestia let out a pained groan as she slowly began to regain consciousness. Considering how much she hurt though, she wasn't sure if that was a curse or a blessing. As her blurred vision began to clear she could make out several round shapes in front of her. When she could finally see straight she found two sets of six stone orbs. One having the markings of the Elements of Harmony on them while the others were unfamiliar to her. She assumed they were the Elements of Discord that had been driven out of her sister's body. They might have even been what had caused that last explosion. But if they _were_ driven out did that mean her sister was cured and she had just banished her for nothing?

"No. No that can't be," she muttered to herself in a panic. "Maybe there's still time to fix it. Shooting Star we must..."

She stopped when she turned and found all the Guardians lying still on the floor. Far _too_ still. Somehow they were still in their circle formation around Shooting Star with the only exception being Firestar who was laying on top of Rainmaker as if she had tried to push her out of the way or save her. But the fact that none of them had woken up yet or even appeared to be moving shook Celestia to her core. With heavy hoofsteps she slowly walked over to the prone forms of her friends then reached down to gently shake Shooting Star's shoulder.

"Star?" she asked softly.

She didn't receive a response.

"Star?" she asked again, a bit louder and shaking more firmly. "Shooting Star. Wake up. Please."

When she wouldn't awaken Celestia moved onto the next one.

"Deep Dive? Are _you_ awake?" she asked, growing even more desperate.

Again nothing.

"Torchlight. Rainmaker. Firestar. Moonracer. Anypony! Wake up! Please! Just...just wake up," she pleaded helpless as tears started to roll down her eyes.

When none of them would respond she felt her knees suddenly grow very weak and eventually give way. She slumped down to the cracked floor next to Shooting Star and stared to sob uncontrollably. In one horrible night she lost her sister and her closest friends. Through the pain of her tears she could see her crown a few feet away from her. She had saved her kingdom and her subjects.

But she had lost some very important parts of her own life...

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"And _that _is how that night had ended," Celestia finished the story, having taken over the last part from Luna.

Twilight stood in stunned silence, not sure what she could or _should_ say. Finally after a long pause she said the only thing that she could think.

"I'm sorry," she said gently.

"Do not be. It was not your fault Twilight Sparkle. The fault lies with me," Luna said and looked up at her sister. "And I shall never be able to make it up to you. Or them," she motioned to the painting in front of them.

"It wasn't your fault either Luna," Celestia reassured her as she gave her a gentle nuzzle. "For all her ranting, Nightmare Moon was right in that I s_hould_ have paid more attention to you all those years ago." Her face then hardened a bit in anger. "But, of course, the _true_ monster in all this is Discord. He was the one who infected you with his dark magic and twisted your mind."

"Speaking of that, I've never heard of him before or these Elements of Discord," Twilight spoke up.

"Discord's tale is one for another time," Celestia explained. "As for his Elements, I had all records of them stricken from historical documents and stories."

"But...why?"

"Twilight, let me ask you, you've read the Daring Do series, yes?"

"Of course! I've read them all! In fact I've read a couple of them a few times now," Twilight said, positively beaming. "I'd have to say my _personal_ favorite is _Daring Do and the Staff of Star Swirl the Bearded_. But of course that's because I've always been a fan of Star Swirl too and found a lot of this spells to be quite amazing and-"

"That's enough Twilight," Celestia cut her off with a raised hoof and a small chuckle. Even dredging up painful memories couldn't stop her from being amused by Twilight's love of reading and learning. But now was not the time for that. "I only bring it up because in those stories aren't there sometimes instances where Daring is following a set of clues that leads to some dangerous artifacts?"

"A couple of times, yes," Twilight nodded.

"And haven't you ever wondered if the artifact was so dangerous, why would anypony leave a trail to finding it?"

"Well...yeah! I mean if it _is _that dangerous what sense does it make to have a series of clues that lead right to it? In fact, why tell anypony about it at all-ooooooh!" she mused in sudden realization.

"Exactly," Celestia confirmed with a nod. "I knew the Elements of Discord were far too dangerous for anypony to know about and so had to wipe them out of the Equestria's known history." She then let out a sad, sorrowful sigh as she looked back at the statues leading to the mural. "Sadly that meant having to erase the knowledge of my friends as well. But I have kept memories alive here and in my heart."

Twilight grew silent again out of respect for the Princess' fallen friends and apparently her predecessor. It didn't last long as thinking about her made her think about something else from the Princesses' stories.

"Wait. If the spell you used to banish Nightmare Moon was something you just thought of on the spot than how did you make the prophecy that would set her free 1,000 years later?" she asked as she scratched the back of her head in confusion.

"That's something _else_ I need to tell you..." Celestia started.

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Notes: **Well once again it took a _long_ time to get this chapter done! Don't think it was quite as long as the last time but definitely much longer than I would have liked. Mostly because I was having trouble figuring out just how the hell to write out this fight scene. Pony battles are kind of hard to write especially those ones between two god-like figures like Celestia and Luna. Add the fact that I put them in a confined space and that there were the original Elements of Harmony around _and_ Dark Sky and I really didn't know what to do. So when in doubt I went with my standby: a bitter, drag out brawl between the two! Which I actually think worked pretty well as it made the fight more personal and visceral as it needed to be. Especially on Nightmare Moon's part as she had a _lot_ she had to get out.

I probably should have had the other ponies do more but it just felt right focusing on the two princesses mostly for this one. Plus again, staging the thing was kind of a nightmare all it's own. I just hope it didn't let anyone down and lived up to the two chapter build up to it. Course I'm sure everyone has their own version of what went down that night, if it even was just one night, and this is just my version of it. I hope you enjoyed it. Obviously nopony else did, especially Celestia.

Oh and yes, I _was_ an evil bastard to have Rainmaker confess her feelings to Firestar right before dying. That's why I had in mind all along! Muwhaahahahahahaha! What was Firestar going to say to her afterwards? I guess we'll never know now will we? Aahahahahahahahahaahahhaha! Yeah I'm a jerk, I tease some shipping and then take it away but what do you expect, I'm a shipping writer and I had to do something to get it out of my system. Course it's not and something will definitely pop up again. Probably between two of the Mane Six. And anyone who knows my shipping preference for this fandom can probably guess who it is already.

Also I wrote the friendship between Luna and Dark Sky to be very slash friendly I noticed. I honestly didn't mean to, it's just the way it worked out. Where will that lead when the two meet up again after all this time? Well you'll just have to stay tuned to find out that answer.

Til then, see ya!


	10. The Truth Behind The Truth

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

**The Elements of Discord**

**Chapter 10: The Truth Behind The Truth**

Princess Celestia stared sorrowfully at the moon. It had been weeks since the Nightmare Moon incident but the scars were still fresh. Primarily because she had not allowed herself proper time to grieve. Or more accurately she _couldn't_. She had to stay strong for her subjects in this turbulent time. The battle between harmony and discord had ravaged their old land and so they had to find another location in which to rebuild. To help accomplish this task, Celestia had to learn to lower and raise the moon in addition to the sun which only added to her burden physically and emotionally. But she could not let it overwhelm her in her front of her subjects. She had to be a pillar for them as they searched for their new home to let them know that all will be well. A feat she had accomplished surprisingly well as they set about creating the city of Canterlot in honor of the former castle grounds.

But in her private moments such as these she finally gave in to her emotions and allowed herself to weep for her sister and her fallen friends. These times usually came at night when the other ponies were asleep and so were less likely to see her cry. Which made her feel even worse as it proved Luna right and made Celestia wish she had listened to her sister's pleas even more so. Perhaps if she had been as attentive as a sister as she had been a ruler then none of this ever would have had happened. Worse still, the first night she had brought the moon up after the event she noticed a strange new shadow over it's surface that resembled a unicorn's head. A spectacle that other ponies noticed as well and had already dubbed it "The Mare in the Moon". Many wondered just where it had come from and how it got there but Celestia knew both of those answers all too well. Somehow the very essence of Nightmare Moon had fused with the moon when she banished her there and now glared down at her every night as a constant reminder of her greatest failures.

Celestia tore her guilt-ridden gaze away from the shadowy form on the moon only to hang her head and let more a few more tears run down her cheeks. Her legs began to shake as the crushing weight of her emotions began to press down on her again. She was about to give in and let herself crumble to the ground when a sudden voice behind her shocked her straight up again.

"The moon shines bright even in the darkest of nights."

She turned her head in the direction of the voice and found a charcoal colored Earth pony with a bright blond mane standing right next to her. She was surprised she hadn't heard him approach her but she assumed that was because she was too caught up in her own emotions. Still there seemed to be something...odd about him and she honestly couldn't remember seeing him before. While her growing court made it difficult for her to know _all_ her subjects, she still tried her best and she felt she would remember him. Especially his rather peculiar Cutie Mark of an eye surrounded by five stars. While it was true most Cutie Marks were unique to an individual pony, there was something about this one that stood out to her and she _knew_ she would remember seeing it. She scrambled to regain control of her emotions to ask him about it, or at least who he was, but before she could say anything he spoke up again.

"Though the stars shine just as brightly themselves. I never just looked before," he said in a rather wistful tone. "Those four around the moon seem to especially stand out."

Celestia cocked an eyebrow then looked back up into the sky and indeed there were four larger stars surrounding the moon that she hadn't noticed before. Another thing she found odd since she had _just _been starring at that portion of the sky a few seconds ago.

"How did...?" she wondered allowed.

"There are stranger things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy Celestia," the strange pony remarked. "Stars can wink in and out of existence in the time it takes you to blink. Occasionally they can move and cause the most amazing things to happen. What do you suppose would happen if those four stars moved? Perhaps they might be able to illuminate the moon enough to dispel that foreboding shadow on the moon."

Celestia's head snapped back towards the stranger with that statement, her look a combination of fear and anger.

"What do _you_ know about that shadow?" she demanded of him, her eyes glowing ever so slightly.

Despite the rather fearsome look on The Princess' face, the mysterious pony remained calm and collected.

"Only that it will fade as suddenly as it appeared. That is the cylindrical nature of the universe. All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again," he replied in his still cryptic tone.

Celestia's expression quickly went from anger to confusion soon thereafter disbelief then finally ending up at absolute horror. She couldn't explain it, but she had this horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach that this strange pony spoke the truth. Maybe it was because she wasn't exactly sure herself what the Elements of Harmony had done to her sister and had no way of knowing if the impromptu spell she had created would last indefinitely. In fact if she were to be _truly _honest with herself she wasn't sure the spell would work in the first place as it was just something she came up with in the spur of the moment. So there was every chance it would fail someday. But that again raised the question just _how_ did this pony know all this information?

"Who are you?" she asked pointedly.

"Me? I am merely a humble servant of your majesty's," he replied with a formal bow.

"Then how do you know all this?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing a bit.

"There are some mysteries best left unsolved," he remarked in a surprisingly apologetic tone before he turned to leave. He did pause to look over his shoulder at her though. "But we can never be sure what answers the next thousand years might bring. Perhaps you will learn what you need to then. Or perhaps that shadow will merely disappear. Whatever the case may be Princess, always remember that balance between the day and the night is twilight."

With that he started to walk off. Celestia had thought about using her magic to pull him back and make him answer her questions but she realized that would be massive abuse of her powers. Instead she cast her glance back towards the ominous shadow on the moon and stared worriedly at it for a few more seconds. Another question for the unusually knowledgeable Earth pony crossed her mind but when she turned back to where he had just been she saw nothing but a dark, empty field. She stared in disbelief for a moment before she let out a soft, amused chuckle. Apparently there were things even _she_ still needed to learn.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Twilight stared in completely shock as her mentor finished her story.

"That...that's impossible!" she gasped. "I met that very same pony today! He even said the whole 'this has happened before' thing!"

Celestia looked just as surprised as her student.

"But...that shouldn't be possible," she muttered, mostly to herself.

"I know!" Twilight shouted, throwing her front hooves up for emphasis. "And he lives right there in Ponyville! He calls himself Star Gazer!"

"This is...unexpected," the princess mused as she rubbed her chin with her right hoof. She then shook her head. "But that's a matter to look into later. Right now we should focus on the matter at hoof."

"Right, right..." Twilight nodded trying to regain her composure.

It didn't work.

"But I don't get it! How could he still be alive after all this time? I thought only you and your sister could live that long? And how did he know all that stuff about Nightmare Moon and what would happen in the next thousand years?" she paced around in a circle as she rambled but came to a sudden stop when she remembered something in particular about Celestia's tale. "And did he mention _me_?"

"Calm down Twilight Sparkle. Hysterics will do none of us good at the moment," Luna advised.

"Luna's right, Twilight," Celestia agreed as she placed a comforting hoof on the young unicorn's shoulder. "Getting this worked up won't help anypony. As for your name...well.." She hesitated, looking away sheepishly.

"Well what?" Twilight asked, anxiously.

The Princess looked away almost shamefully as she let out a deep sigh.

"At the time I hadn't given it much thought," she began, "but I found out that the very powerful young unicorn trying out for my school was named _Twilight _Sparkle...well I took that as an omen."

Twilight's face fell and her ears drooped as she processed that information.

"You mean..._that's_ the only reason I got into you school? Why you made me your top student?" she asked on the verge of tears.

"What?" Celestia balked, genuinely surprised by the reaction.

She then lowered her head to gently nuzzle against Twilight's neck in comforting motion.

"No! Not at all," she whispered soothingly. "I chose you for my school, and to be my personal student, because I saw in you the potential to be amazing. And you _are_ amazing Twilight, never doubt that for a moment."

"I won't. Thank you Princess," Twilight whispered back with a relieved smile.

"Good," Celestia sighed then stood up right away. "With that being said, it was that same potential that made me remember this 'Star Gazer's' words and that you just might be able to help my sister where I could not. But first you needed to know about Nightmare Moon and the prophecy and I thought simply telling you would lay too great a burden on your young shoulders."

"That's why you gave me the copy of _Prophecies and Predictions_!" Twilight exclaimed. "You knew I would read it and find out about the prophecy about Nightmare Moon!"

"Correct," the Princess smiled. "I also knew you would read about the Elements of Harmony and that would teach you how to stop her. But of course the _hardest_ part was getting you to get your nose out of all those books and make some friends to activate the Elements."

"Which is why you sent me to Ponyville, I know that part already," Twilight mused with a smile. It faded slightly as she recounted the events of that day. "But how did you know I'd make friends at all? Or that the friends I _did_ make would represent the Elements of Harmony?"

"The answers to both those question are actually the same. As mentioned in Star Swirl the Bearded's notes, the Elements have always been drawn to each other and work in a rather cylindrical fashion and once they are used by one generation they become stronger in the next. So by this point you and your friends are actually one with the Elements. _That_ is how I knew you would find the friends you need."

"'Twas still a risky gamble sister," Luna noted. "What if Star Swirl's notes were wrong or you had misinterpreted them?"

"Or if the ponies of the Elements weren't in Ponyville at all?" Twilight added.

Celestia looked between the two of them and had to smile ever so slightly at just how alike they could be.

"Well I _am_ in tune with the Elements so I could sense their presence in Ponyville just not which ponies exactly they were bonded with. As for if Twilight had not made any friends..." her expression grew grim as she trailed off. "Then I was prepared to do what I had to to free you from Discord's corrupting influence sister. Even if it meant my own life."

With that statement, an uneasy tension filled the room. Luna and Twilight spared worried glances at each other before fixing their gazes back on Celestia, the look of determination on her face telling them both that she wasn't exaggerating. It was a look that left a pit in both their stomachs, especially Luna's.

"Sister...Tia...if you had...if it had come to that..." she stammered, not really sure what to say.

"Let's just be thankful that it _didn't_ come to that," Twilight quickly spoke up.

"Agreed," Luna nodded.

"Yes, I would say things worked out for the best," Celestia remarked, her usual cheerful smile returning to her face. "But now of course we must make sure that history _doesn't_ repeat itself again and find a way to stop Dark Sky before she recovers the Elements of Discord."

"No. We must _help_ her," Luna insisted. "Remember that _she _was corrupted as _I_ was and whatever machinations she may have in mind are _not _her fault."

"Of course Luna," Celestia nodded. "I'm sorry I held a grudge against your friend for so long. I...I suppose I was merely shifting the blame." She lowered her head once again, unable to look her sister in the eye. "If only I had paid more attention to you back then. If only I-"

She stopped when she felt Luna placed a hoof on her shoulder and turned her head back to see her sister smiling softly at her.

"Do not blame yourself sister. 'Twas _I_ who allowed my own pettiness to overcome me which led to myself and Sky to be influenced by Discord," she said reassuringly.

"I still wish I had been there for you more than I was," the elder sister confessed with a sorrowful sigh.

"How about we all agree that could have gone better back then?" Twilight suggested.

"Agreed," both princesses said with a nod.

"Good," the purple unicorn smiled. "Now we can focus on making sure this doesn't happen again."

"You're right Twilight, now is not the time to dwell on the past but rather focus on the future," Celestia declared. "Our first step should be to locate the Elements of Discord _before_ Dark Sky does."

"That should be a simple task. We simply return to where you hide them after you banished Nightmare Moon," Luna remarked.

"Actually..." the white Alicorn hesitated, looking away sheepishly.

The younger sister blink a few times in confusion before she narrowed her eyes in understanding.

"You did _not_ hide the Elements after the battle," she concluded then sighed. "Honestly sister. And you complain about _me_ being irresponsible at times."

Celestia's brow furrowed a bit. "Well forgive me, if I let one thing slip my mind while trying to sooth my subjects' fears while also trying not to have a complete emotional breakdown."

"I understand that but 'tis not the first time you have...misplaced important items."

"_That _was a _long_ time ago and I have _more_ than apologized for it over the years."

"That still does not change the fact that-"

"PRINCESSES!" Twilight screamed, brining an unexpected stop to the sibling rivalry. "Once again we have more _important_ things to worry about right now!"

"Of course, of course," Celestia muttered with a shake of her head. "Well since we left the ruins of the old castle in a hurry, I suppose the Elements could still be there."

"Just like the Elements of Harmony were there!" Twilight added.

"I do remember being compelled to return there as Nightmare Moon," Luna mused, rubbing her chin with her right front hoof. "I thought it was only because that was the last place I remember being but perhaps it was because the Elements of Discord were still there."

"That would make sense, since the castle is in the middle of the Everfree Forest and _nopony_ in their right mind would want to go there!" Twilight remarked.

"But it is possible that Sky is still not in her right mind. And if her goal _is_ to resurrect Nightmare Moon then it is likely that is where she would go," Luna surmised.

"Then that is where we shall begin the investigation," Celestia declared.

"Actually Princess, it might be best if you let me and my friends go to look," Twilight countered. "I mean no offense, I _know_ you can take care of yourself, I mean you're the princess after all, but it might not be such a good idea for you or Luna to go alone in the Everfree Forest since somepony is obviously looking for you, well Luna. But you get what I mean, right?"

Celestia couldn't help but chuckle at her student's rather...unique way of describing the situation. "Of course I do Twilight. And you make a good point. You and your friends can go look for the Elements of Discord while we have the guards double their patrols and be on the look out for anything supscious."

"Good," she nodded but then looked a bit apprehensive. "Um...Princess. If I'm going to get my friends involved with this then...I don't feel right holding out on them so... can I... maybe... possibly...?"

"You may tell them whatever you feel you must Twilight," the elder Princess said softly.

"Indeed, it is only fair they know the whole story as well," Luna agreed.

Twilight smiled up at them. "Thank you both."

With the plan decided, the three left the secret chamber, which Celestia was quick to close, then made their way out of the throne room proper. When the large double doors were pull opened, however, they were all surprised to see a small contingent of guards standing there including the Captain of the Guard himself. There was a brief moment where both groups where stunned into silence but it was quickly cut short but a loud, squealing proclamation.

"Shiney!" Twilight cried happily as she ran forward and hugged her brother.

"Twilight?" Shining Armor asked in confusion even as he awkwardly returned the hug. "What are you doing here?"

"The Princess invited me," she explained as she pulled back then gave him a questioning look. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I would like to know that as well," Celestia remarked in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Well, your majesty," Shining started a bit nervously, "a few of my guards mentioned how both you and Princess Luna had been in the throne room for quite awhile and I was concerned something might be up and wanted to check in. When I didn't get any responses I grew concerned."

Celestia's expression softened into an appreciative smile.

"Well I can't fault you for doing your job and I do thank you for your concern," she said. "It's actually quite fortuitous that you showed up because we d_o_ have a building emergency that will require you and your guards to increase their presence."

"What is it your majesty?" he asked as he stood at attention, the guards surrounding him doing the same.

"I shall explain in a bit but first Twilight must be escorted back to the chariot and I'm sure she'd be more than happy to have her big brother do that job, wouldn't you Twilight?"

The unicorn's face lit up brighter than her horn ever did.

"Of course I would!" she beamed before she looked at her brother. "That is if you wouldn't mind having your little sister bug you at work."

Shining chuckled as he brought his right front hoof up to gently ruffle her hair. "Course not Twily, you know I always have time for my favorite little sister."

"I'm your _only _little sister! Unless there's something mom and dad haven't told us," she countered.

"Don't think so. And just because you're my _only_ sister doesn't mean you can't be my _favorite_ sister."

The display of sibling affection caused Celestia to smile slightly and cast a look at her own younger sister. It quickly faded, however, when she remembered the more important matter at hoof.

"I'm also going to need some of your guards to escort Luna back to her chambers," she requested.

"Celestia! I am _more_ than capable of returning to my room by myself!" Luna protested.

"I know that Luna, but as Twilight pointed out we're _both_ likely to be targeted and you more so given your connection to Dark Sky. I mean no offense I just...want to make sure you're going to be as safe as possible."

"Tia..." the dark princess said softly, a bit moved by the statement. "Very well, I will go along with your advice."

"Thank you," Celestia said in return, stretching a wing across her sister in the form of a hug.

"Right," Shining Armor nodded, then looked towards two of the Pegasus guards near him. "You two, please escort the Princess back to her room."

"Oh I can escort her all kinds of places," the teal colored guard remarked, earning him quite a few less than friendly looks from those around him. Especially Celestia.

"Idiot," his light blue comrade muttered before he walked over to Luna. "Don't mind him he's just...well stupid."

"So I've gathered," Luna muttered then started to walk off.

The two guards quickly followed behind her with the teal one seeming rather fascinated with her Cutie Mark. The other guards started to wander back to their posts as well while Shining Armor and Twilight made their way towards the balcony where the air chariot awaited. As they walked, Shining's curiosity quickly got the better of him.

"So what exactly _is_ going on?" he asked.

"I'm sure the Princess will tell you Shiney," Twilight remarked to not-so-graciously deflect the question.

"Twily I'm the Captain of the Guard, I _need_ to know what's going on!" he insisted.

"And I told you the princess will tell you what's going on!" she shot back then quickly sighed. "Look, Shiny, I'm sorry but things are probably going to get really hectic here soon and this whole thing is rather personal for Princess Luna so I don't know much I _should_ tell! But then again I'm going to _have_ to tell my friends since we're going to be involved and _they _have a right know who and/or what we're fighting and the potential consequences. But then again you're right you kinda _need_ to know since it's your job and all but then again like I said I'm sure Celestia will tell you eventually do and-"

"Okay, okay! Twily take a moment to breath!" Shining suggested, knowing his sister's tendency to ramble when she gets excited or nervous. Or even both. _Especially _both. "I'll make sure to ask the Princesses once you're gone."

"Thank you," she sighed.

"Although _now_ I'm worried about there being 'consequences'? Are you in some kind of danger Twily?"

"Actually it seems like I'm in danger every other week!" Twilight muttered with a roll of her eyes. "But this time does feel different." She shook her head. "I don't know, I just feel like something bad is about to happen."

"You're not doing much to reassure your B.B.B.F.F. here," Shiny tried to joke.

"I know and I'm sorry," she sigh again as she nuzzled his neck in apology. "Just promise me you'll be safe and watch over the Princesses."

"Only if you promise me the same thing," he replied, returning the nuzzle.

"Deal," she smiled.

When they were finished with their bout of sibling affection they found they had already made their way to the balcony. The two Pegasus guards there quickly greeted them before strapping themselves into the chariot's harness. Twilight paused long enough to give her brother one last hug before she boarded the flying vehicle. He waved to her as it flew away, but couldn't shake the feeling that she had been right and something bad was coming. He'd have to remember to double the patrols and increase the guards around the princesses. Maybe even ask Celestia if she wanted him to put his protection spell up around the city. Of course that would leave _him_ a bit vulnerable since it took an incredible amount of effort to maintain it but he knew there was a certain princess that would be more than happy to help him with it.

"ARGH!" he suddenly screamed and started banging a hoof against his forehead. "I completely forgot to tell Twily Cadence and I were engaged now! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He sighed and relaxed a bit. "Oh well, hopefully she won't be too mad when she finds out."

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

In another part of the castle, Luna let out her own sigh as she felt the eyes of one of her supposed bodyguards clued right on her flank. With everything that was weighing down on her today she was even _less_ in the mood to deal with this unwanted attention than she normally would be. She gave great thought to simply "correcting" him with the Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice, but per her sister's request she was trying not to become too reliant on it. Apparently it was considered "outdated" and "terrifying" now. Which _would_ be called for in this situation but for now she would try it her sister's way.

And if that didn't solve the problem then she would try it _her_ way.

"You do know you are supposed to be protecting my _entire _body and not just my flank, correct?" she asked in a rather snide voice.

"Huh? What? Oh I mean what are you talking about? I'm _totally_ watching your whole body!" the teal Pegasus stammered.

"Real smooth," the other guard mumbled.

"Dude chill out, you're gonna ruin my game here," he whispered.

"What game? You're just ogling the Princess' backside!"

"That's just step one. Step two is where the _real_ magic happens."

"You _do_ know I can hear you, yes?" Luna asked again, casting an even more annoyed glance as the overly amorous guard.

"I told you just to ignore him your majesty. He just thinks he's Celestia's gift to mares," the more rational guard remarked.

"Hey I'd be _more_ than happy to be your gift to anything," the teal one joked again with a rather flirtatious smile.

"Do you even know _how_ to stop?"

"Hey don't get made at _me_ just because the only mare you ever loved broke up with you after she totally handed you your flank."

The blue Pegasus gaffed then glared angrily at his supposed friend.

"She did _not_ kick my flank! It was just a lucky kick!" he protested.

"Yeah more like a lucky fifteen kicks. She's not even a Pegasus! You have no excuse for getting hit as much as you did!" the teal Pegasus scoffed.

The other guard looked desperately at Luna.

"Don't believe him! That was just an off day! And she was a Prestige Class! So that shouldn't even count! I'm actually a really good fighter!" he pleaded.

"I am sure you are," Luna remarked with a roll of her eyes. "But we are back at my room so am I no longer in need of your services. Thank you both for the...unique way you watched over me."

Before they could say anymore she used her magic to open her door then backed into it as quickly as she could before she slammed it shut. She let out another sigh but this time it was one of relief to be away from the two bickering guards. She also hoped she would have a few minutes alone process everything that was happening. First and foremost was the fact that Sky had apparently returned and still might be under Discord's control. She knew her sister and her student meant well but she still wasn't sure they would know how to handle Sky if either of them ran into her. How could they know? Neither of them had been brainwashed by that monster like she and Sky so they had no idea how it could distort one's thinking. The best scenario for everypony involved would be for her to find her friend first. But of course the question remained, where was she?

"Hello Luna. Long time."

Luna's eyes nearly popped out of her head in surprise as the familiar voice that suddenly filled her ears. She spun around as quickly as she could and was indeed greeted with a face she hadn't seen in a thousand years.

"Sky!" she cried out.

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Notes: **Yes I know, evil, evil cliffhanger! And I know this chapter is a bit short given the long wait for it and I do feel bad about that but this ending just feels right thematically. Like a perfect episode ending moment or something. So I'm sticking with this one and I hope you guys won't be too mad at me! Just think of what you get to look forward to next chapter! Which of course might take awhile given how much trouble this thing has been giving me lately. To make matters worse that's the last chapter I have a clear vision of so the ones after that might be even _longer_ as they start to get a bit...hazy after that. I know the big points I want to hit just gotta figure out how to get there.

So yeah this story has _definitely _gotten a bit away from me. I always knew it'd be a long one but I never imagined it'd take _this_ long! Honestly at the pace I'm going I might not be done with this thing until the end of season three! So once again I have to deeply thank everyone here who's kept with the story so far and I hope you'll all be there until the end of this thing. Whenever that may be.

Thought I had more to say but I can't remember right now. Again I know this was a short, mostly expository chapter but I needed something to transition back into the main storyline from the flashbacks. It also allowed me to add a little more levity back into this thing as the last few chapters were rather dark but...well given their subject matter that couldn't be helped. So have a breather before we start getting back into the action of it and things _really_ start to ramp!

See ya next time folks!


	11. High Stakes

1My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

**The Elements of Discord**

**Chapter 11: High Stakes**

Luna stood still in shocked silence. She was paralyzed by surprise and conflicting emotions. On the one hoof she was happy to see her friend Dark Sky alive and well after 1,000 years but on the other hoof if she _was_ still under Discord's corrupting influence than this reunion might not be so happy after all. It would also require to her imprison her and she wasn't ready to do that to her friend just yet. So she would have to tread this situation very carefully.

"Sky," she repeated, much more calmly this time. "It's good to see you again after..."

"1,000 years?" Dark Sky finished a bit bitterly.

"I _was_ going to say 'after all this time' but I suppose that works as well. Tell me, when did you get free?"

"Oh just a few hours ago," the unicorn responded as she nonchalantly checked the bottom of her right front hoof. "Sorry I didn't stop by sooner but I've been a bit...busy."

Luna's pleasant, and somewhat hopeful, expression fell at the tone of Sky's voice from that statement. There was something...sinister about it that made her think she knew _exactly_ what her friend had been up to this last few hours.

"So...you _are_ collecting the Elements of Discord again," she stated, not asked.

"Oh Luna don't be silly," Dark Sky practically giggled. "I'm _not_ collecting them."

For a brief second, the princess allowed her hope to return, but it was quickly dashed by the next remark.

"I've _already_ collected them!" she finished excitedly. "And you won't believe this, but their powers have been transferred to a group of ponies! Weird, huh? But I've got them all rounded up at the old castle and I _should _be able to adjust the spell to work with them instead of the original Elements. It might take some time but I'm sure I can do it. Which means you can be Nightmare Moon again and this time with the help of these other ponies we can succeed in taking down your sister and ruling the kingdom for eternity! Isn't that great?!"

Now it wasn't only Luna's expression that fell but her heart as well. The outburst confirmed her fears that this was indeed _not_ her friend that had returned to her, but rather the twisted abomination of her that Discord had created. It almost made her want to weep but she had to remain strong for herself and especially her friend. Despite her resolve, however, she couldn't stop herself from closing her eyes and sighing before she spoke.

"No," she said softly, turning her head away even after she opened her eyes. "It is not."

This time it was Dark Sky's turn to be surprised and disappointed.

"W-what do you mean?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow in disbelief. "I-I thought that's what you wanted? Remember how they treated you? How they treated _us_?!"

"Of _course _I remember!" Luna snapped, almost slipping into the Royal Voice. She took a moment to stop and regain her composure. "How could I forgot? It was all I had to think about for 1,000 years. All the anger, the hatred, the betrayal. It all festered during my time trapped in the moon where it only grew stronger until the day I was finally freed. I swore I would have my revenge on my sister and all the other ponies who had mistreated me. And then..."

"And then?" the unicorn asked expectedly.

"Then I was saved. Freed from all those negative emotions and the horror that was Nightmare Moon," she concluded in an almost thankful tone. "It was then I realized what a mistake I had made. Giving into those emotions. Letting Discord corrupt me. Using his elements. They were all mistakes. _Horrible_ mistakes that I am not sure I can _ever_ take back. Becoming Nightmare Moon didn't help me at all. If anything it made things much worse. It confirmed my status as a monster in the eyes of the public. It cost my sister's friends their lives and very nearly cost me my relationship with her. And..." she paused to look Dark Sky directly in the eyes. "It very nearly cost me my only friend in the world."

Sky's expression softened and she looked honestly surprised, if not touched, by the comment. Her angered resolve seemed to waver as she tried to come up with a response.

"Luna..." she said softly, "I...I..."

She then held a hoof to her forehead as if it hurt and stumbled a bit. She shook her head as if to clear it and she was about to speak again but stopped short when she caught sight of Luna's reflection in the mirror behind her. Or rather what was in place of Luna's reflection. Instead of the demure, dark blue princess was the dominating, black form of Nightmare Moon. The armored Alicorn grinned, her serpentine eyes focus squarely on Dark Sky. The unicorn's own eyes widened in shock for just a second before they flashed then narrowed as she mimicked the dark goddess's smirk.

"Oh. Ooooh. I get it now," she remarked as she stepped closer to Luna. "That sister of yours, she did something to you. She and her Elements of Harmony," she spit out the words bitterly. She then raised a hoof gently to Luna's cheek. "But I can help you. I can bring you back to your former glory. And then, _then_ we can show them _all_ just how powerful we can be!"

By now Luna couldn't hide her disappointment and sadness. She raised her own hoof to Dark Sky's and carefully pushed it away as she shook her head.

"No Sky," she began softly. "I cannot, _will not_, go back to being that..._monster_. You cannot help _me_, but perhaps I can help _you_. Your mind is still clouded by Discord's curse. Come with me and I'll free you from his influence. Then...then we can be friends again," she finished a friendly smile and a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

Unfortunately, it was quickly dashed when Dark Sky's expression became very grim and angered.

"No, it's _you_ who are confused. _I'm_ thinking clearer than ever!" she snarled. "In fact, I'm thinking so clearly I prepared for this situation in case it came up."

Her horn then suddenly glowed brightly as she mentally chanted a new spell she had learned. Within seconds a magical field lashed out from her horn and ensnared Luna. The princess screamed out in surprise and struggled against the aura but surprisingly found that she was powerless against it. Even her own magic couldn't disrupt the spell. After a bit more struggling she finally gave in and merely stared desperately at her former friend. Much to her surprise, Dark Sky actually looked rather sad and regretful.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this Luna," she said apologetically. "But I _promise_ it'll all be better soon..."

With that her horn lit up again and another field washed over Luna but this time it also covered Dark Sky as well in a way that was remarkably similar to Nightmare Moon's teleportation spell.

"No! Sky! Wait!" Luna cried out desperately but her cries were quickly silenced when they both disappeared in bright flash of light.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

As quick as it was, Luna's scream did not go unnoticed as one of the pegasi guards in the hallway happened to pick it up.

"Huh?" he asked as he stopped in his tracks and looked back towards the Princess' door. "Hey did you hear that?"

"Probably just the sound of you being an idiot," the other one grumbled.

"No I swear I just hear the Princess screaming," the teal one said.

The slightly darker blue one looked at his companion skeptically. "Are you _sure_ you heard something? Because if you _did_ we need to do something right away. But if you _didn't_ I don't want to take the chance of annoying the Princess even more."

"Trust me, I heard it. I'm very good at picking up the various screams of mares," the teal one informed him with a slightly knowing smirk.

"Ugh. I don't want to hear _that_!"

"Well then hear this, that was _definitely_ a scream of danger."

The blue pegasus still looked rather unconvinced but after a moment he finally let out a sigh as he gave a reluctant nod.

"Fine. We'll go check it out. But if you're wrong, _you're_ explaining to the princess why we're bugging her again."

"And if I'm right I totally get to be the hero who saved the princess!" the other retorted as he sped off down the hallway.

His companion rolled his eyes then ran after him. In no time at all they were back at the door to Luna's bedroom but instead of breaking it down hero style like one would assume, the teal pegasus merely brought a forehoof up and knocked gently.

"Hey Princess. It's me again! You okay in there?!" he called out.

"What are you doing?!" the astonished blue guard demanded.

"Well she's probably still mad at me and I've learned from experience that when a mare is still mad you gotta take things slow. Plus she could be indecent in there. Not that that's a bad thing but again she's probably not in the mood for me to see her like that right now."

The other pegasus' mouth hung open in irritated shock. It took him a few tries before he could he properly vocalize what he was feeling.

"Indecent?! _Indecent?!_ We don't usually wear clothes! This armor is just protective!" he screamed, slamming a hoof against his chest plate which resulted in a fairly loud "clang" sound. "And the princess' armor is ceremonial! I don't think she's going to care if we catch her out of it! Especially if it saves her life like you _claimed_ we needed to do!"

"Well...still..."

"Just stand back!" he screamed then spun on his front hooves to buck the door open with his rear ones.

Unfortunately, he missed by a good five inches and ended up falling flat on his stomach and face. The teal guard could barely suppress his chuckle behind a hoof.

"Wow dude, I think that was a record," he scoffed.

The blue one growled and slammed his hooves on the floor before he used his wings to lift him off the ground, flew a few feet away from the door then raced towards it with a frustrated scream. This time he connected perfectly, slamming his shoulder into the wood obstruction and throwing the doors wide open. Sadly this also had the added benefit of sending him stumbling into the room and despite his earlier protests, he still covered his eyes when he realized where he was.

"Uh sorry princess, but we thought we heard a scream and just wanted to make sure you were alright," he quickly explained himself.

He prepared himself for an angry, and rather loud, answer back but was surprised when none came.

"Princess?" he tried again.

"Dude, she's not here," his partner informed him.

"WHAT?!" he shouted as he uncovered his eyes.

True enough the room before him lie completely bare of one Princess of the Night.

"Well...buck," he muttered.

"_Told_ you it was a scream of danger," the teal pegasus said a bit smugly.

"Yeah and _now_ you get to tell Princess Celestia that we let her sister get abducted right under our noses."

"What?! Me?! Why?!"

"Cause _you're _the idiot who started this whole mess in the first place!"

The other guard paused. "So?!"

"So get your flank in there and tell her!"

"No way dude! You are _not_ getting _me_ to tell her! No way, no how, not at all!

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"...and when we got inside the room was empty," the teal pegasus guard explained himself sheepishly and quickly adding, "Uh, Your Highness."

Celestia glared down at the two cowering guards she had assigned to watch over her sister. It was a look shared by Shining Armor who stood to her right. Both looked at their subordinates in frustration and disappointment, Shining Armor even more so since, as Captain of the Guard, their poor performance reflected back on him. The two continued to glare at them for a few more seconds, letting the tension in the air grow as thick as it could for maximum effect. Just when it seemed like the two guards were about to snap, Celestia finally spoke up in a surprisingly calm and quiet voice.

"I...see..." she said evenly. "Farewell then. You two are dismissed."

The duo looked at each other in surprise and confusion.

"Uhhh..." the blue one started to say but was stopped by Shining Armor himself.

"Privates Misfire and Double Speak. The _Princess_ said you are dismissed!" he barked, snapping them to attention.

"Yes sir!" they both replied with a quick salute then started to shuffle out of the room.

"And," Shining Armor spoke up again, drawing their attention, "after all this is resolved I'm going to talk to you about this little...incident, personally."

The two gulped nervously before they flew out of the room as quickly as their wings would let them. When the doors closed behind them, Shining Armor let out a sorrowful sigh and slowly slipped off his helmet.

"I'm sorry your highness. This is all my fault," he apologized. "I should have known better than to let _them _watch over Princess Luna."

"No, the fault lies with me," Celestia reassured him as she stepped down from the throne and started to walk towards the other end of the room. "I should never have let Luna out of my sight. I should have gone with her. Or she at least stay here where I could watch over her. I should have done..._something_!"

She slammed her hoof down at the last word to emphasis her frustration. She then let out a small sigh as she hung her head and closed her eyes, unsure of what else to do at the moment.

"Well..." Shining Armor said softly and hopefully. "You _did_ send Twilight to get her friends and the Elements of Harmony. So that's something. Knowing my lil' sis she's probably already working on the case."

Celestia smiled faintly. "While I do appreciate the thought Shining, I doubt that she's quite at Ponyville yet." The Alicorn suddenly gasped as she raised her head in inspiration. "Which means there still might be time to catch her and let her know of the situation which could quicken her progress!"

"I'll have my fastest pegasus rely the message right away ma'am!" the white unicorn announced urgently.

"No need for I have someone here who's _much_ faster than any pegasus in your ranks," the Princess smiled as she moved over to her pet phoenix's cage. "Philomena, wake up. I need you."

At the sound of her master's voice, the sleeping phoenix's eyes snapped open and she immediately gave her her attention. Celestia flashed a brief smile before her expression grew grim again and she levitated a small scroll and quill in front of her. She quickly jotted down a note then brought a canister that she rolled the scroll into then tied around Philomena's right leg.

"Take this to Twilight Sparkle at once," the princess instructed as she opened the birdcage. "She should be on her way to Ponyville right now."

Philomena gave a quick salute before she zoomed out of the cage and through a window Celestia opened for her. The elder princess watched her pet go with a hopeful heart but a troubled mind.

"Princess, is there anything else I can do to help?" Shining Armor offered.

Celestia sighed and closed her eyes for a second as she thought his words over.

"Yes there is," she said as she opened her eyes and looked towards him. "Take Princess Cadence and your Prestige Class guards out of Canterlot and to a safe location. Just to be on the safe side."

"Shouldn't I leave some of those guards with you?" he asked.

"I believe there will be plenty of guards left," she assured him then smiled. "Besides, like you said, your sister is already on the job. That should be good enough."

She then turned back towards the window just as her smile faded once again.

_At least I hope it will,_ she thought.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Unbeknownst to her, Twilight wore the same expression her mentor wore as her own thoughts swirled with what she had learned that day and what she was going to tell her friends when she returned to Ponyville.

_Well obviously I'm going to tell them to truth but how I do even start off? 'Hey girls, remember when we used the Elements of Harmony to save Princess Luna from being Nightmare Moon? Well it turns out that could have killed us and we might have to do it again so be ready for it!' No, _that's_ not going to work. And where do we even start looking for Dark Sky? She can't still be in Ponyville. I suppose the old Castle Canterlot in the Everfree Forest would be the best place to start since that's what she knew before. But if she's not there? Or she's already assembled her own 'Elements of Discord' ponies? I guess we'd have to fight them but would they be under spells too or just jerks? And if they a_re_ acting under their own will what do we do then?!_

"ARGH! This is all just too much to handle!" she screamed aloud.

"Is there a problem Twilight?" one of the pegasus guards pulling the flying coach asked.

"Um? Problem? Me? No! No not at all!" she laughed nervously. _Note to self: have quieter freak-outs._

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and try to gather her thoughts in a much more organized manner to fully explain the situation to everypony else. Right when she was starting to make her mental bullet points, however, Philomena landed on the coach right in front of her and broke her concentration. She was about to let out the usual frustrated scream she did when her thinking was interrupted but stopped short when she finally saw _who_ had interrupted her.

"Oh Philomena, it's you," she remarked before her eyes grew wide in shock. "Wait! Philomena?! What are _you_ doing here?!"

In response the phoenix merely held out her right leg with the canister tied around it. Twilight levitated the lid off then pulled out the scroll. After a quick read, her eyes shot wide again and her face contorted in horror.

"Guys! We need to get to Ponyville NOW!" she shrieked.

Surprised, the two pegasi jumped a bit before they flew as fast as their wings would carry them and the coach. Despite being the one that called for it, the sudden burst of speed caught Twilight unprepared and she let out a small yelp as she tumbled backwards on the coach. Thankfully she caught herself before she fell off and she quickly staggered back up to her hooves. She then looked down at the phoenix again.

"Thank you Philomena. Please tell the princess that I received her message and I'll do all I can to save Princess Luna," she informed the firebird.

Again Philomena gave out a salute before she flew back off towards the palace. Twilight watched her fly off for a bit before she doubled her concentration and added this new bit of information to mental check list which now seemed more daunting than ever.

_No. I can't doubt myself or my friends. We saved Luna once before and we can do it again,_ she resolved before her expression fell again. _I hope_.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

When Twilight returned to the library she was, as always, greeted by Spike who was rather enthusiastic about her return.

"So how did it go? What did the Princess tell you?" he asked excitedly but it quickly faded when he saw Twilight's rather grim expression. "It's bad isn't it?"

She just nodded slowly.

"Twilight, what happened?"

"Spike, can you go round up the girls?" she requested. "I just want to explain this once and honestly I still need to get my thoughts together on it."

"Oh. Alright. I'll..uh...I'll be back with the others," he said unsurely before he left the library.

As soon as the door closed, Twilight sat down on the floor and had to keep herself from completely collapsing under the weight of everything she had learned today. Normally she loved learning new facts but all this was a bit overwhelming. All she really wanted to do was lay down and try to process it all but there was no time for that. She had to save Princess Luna and all of Equestria from the possible return of Nightmare Moon. And in doing so she and her friends might have to sacrifice their lives. It was all too much for one mare to handle.

But it _wasn't_ just one mare that had to handle it. She had her friends by her side. She knew she would. All she would have to do was ask and they would be there for her. But how _could_ she ask them to do something like this? They had family. Friends. What she was asking was bigger than anything else she had ever asked them for. Did she have the _right_ to ask them for that?

It was a question she wrestled with right up 'til she heard the door open and saw Spike leading them all into the library. Their idle chitchat stopped and their questioning looks turned to ones of concern when they saw her in such a worried state.

"Twilight? Is everything alright sugarcube?" Applejack asked cautiously.

Twilight tried to put on a cheery face for them but she quickly failed. Instead she merely shook her head slowly.

"No. It's not," she sighed before she looked at them again. "Girls, I have something really important to tell you..."

She then recounted to them the tale Luna and Celestia told her of the birth of Nightmare Moon and the death of the original Elements of Harmony and the latest news she received of Princess Luna's foalnapping. As predicted, the others didn't take the news that well. They reacted with a mixture of sadness for the original Harmony ponies and shock for what that could mean for them. Naturally, Fluttershy was taking it the hardest as she was now curled up in a trembling ball near the corner.

"...and so that's the whole story," Twilight finished solemnly.

The others were silent for a moment as they found themselves trying to process everything they had been told, just as Twilight had done earlier. It didn't last long, though, as Rainbow Dash was quick to speak up.

"So you're telling us the _first_ time we used the Elements of Harmony could have also been the _last_ time we used them?" she asked, sounding a bit indignant.

"It seems to be that way, yes," Twilight nodded.

"Well why didn't somepony tell us that?!" she snapped.

"Well how was _I_ supposed to know?!" the unicorn snapped back. "And I'm sure Princess Celestia didn't tell us because she was afraid of how we'd react and because it would bring up too many painful memories."

"She _still _should have told us," Applejack interjected.

"Exactly," Dash nodded enthusiastically. "That way we can tell everypony how even _more _awesome we are for surviving something like that!"

Twilight, Rarity and Applejack all groaned at the pegasus' boast while Fluttershy continued to tremble and whimper while Pinkie Pie, as always, seemed to be in her own little world.

"Well, anyway, despite Rainbow Dash's...enthusiasm, I understand that this is a huge burden I'm putting on you girls and I can't _force_ you to come with me," Twilight told them before her face took on another somber expression before she continued, "but I can't do it without you."

"And none of us here would even dream of asking yah to," Applejack said encouragingly.

"Quite. While adventuring may not be the most ladylike of activities, I am more than willing to get my hooves dirty to help a good friend," Rarity added.

"Exactly! Helping each other out is what friends do you silly filly!" Pinkie remarked with her usual cheerful giggle.

"And if you think you're going without _me _then you're crazier than that whacked out unicorn that caused this mess!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed excitedly. "So you got all us, but I think there's just _one_ pony here that might be a problem..."

With that, all eyes turned towards Fluttershy who was still curled into a shivering ball. When she noticed the others looking at her she let out a tiny squeak but still forced herself to stand upright. She then walked over to her friends with a surprisingly determined look on her face.

"I'm going too," she stated, her voice only wavering a little.

"Seriously? You're not scared?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well...yes. Very," she confessed and shriveled back a bit but quickly took up again with an even more serious look on her face. "But I also know real friends stick by each other no matter how scary things get."

"Thank you Fluttershy," Twilight said softly with an approving nod. She then looked at the others. "Thanks to all you girls. I really _couldn't_ do this without you."

"Ah shucks like Ah said, tain't nothing sugarcube," Applejack responded.

"Yeah! You know we're always ready to put up a good fight!" Rainbow Dash chimed in as she hovered in the air and made boxing motions with her forehooves.

"Well with luck there won't _be_ a fight," the purple unicorn said hopefully. "But just to be prepared for the worst I need you girls to go get your Element of Harmony necklaces that way we can-"

"Ooh! Ooh! Twilight!" Pinkie Pie cried out, waving her hoof frantically.

Twilight let out a slight irritated sigh at being interpreted during her informative speech but nonetheless gave the pink Earth pony her attention.

"Yes Pinkie?" she asked, barely hiding her annoyance.

"I don't know where my necklace is," the other pony confessed.

The unicorn stared in disbelief for a moment but her features quickly warped into an angry expression.

"You...LOST IT?!" she shrieked.

Despite the outburst pointed her way, Pinkie still giggled happily. "No silly, I don't _lose _it I just don't know where it is right now!"

"That's the same as losing it!"

"Really? Cause I thought that was just _misplacing_ it?" Pinkie asked quizzically.

"I...you...just..." Twilight stammered irritably for a moment before she let out a calming breath and closed her eyes. Once she was a little more rational she opened her eyes to look at her friends again. "Okay, the rest of you go get your necklaces while _I_ go help Pinkie look for _hers._"

The others all nodded enthusiastically then hurriedly made their way out of the library, which had less to do with the urgency of the situation at hoof and more to do with getting away from an angry Twilight Sparkle.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Upon returning to Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack made a beeline for her room to get her Element of Honesty necklace. While she didn't exactly hide it, since that was never her strong point, she did put it somewhere that was out of the reach of little hooves trying any hair-brained scheme to get her Cutie Mark. At least it she _hoped_ so anyway. She gave a few conspiratorial glances over her shoulders before she pulled open her closet door to reveal the few very good clothes she had. Which, all things told, wasn't really that impressive a collection. In fact her "fancy" collection consisted of exactly two pieces; the Gala dresses Rarity made for her. Granted the one Rarity herself made for her was better than the one she had instructed her to make but they were both so well crafted that she couldn't toss either of them out. Not after all the care that had gone into making them. Granted one was forced but it was still an amazingly well made dress. And the boots were the perfect place to stash a very valuable piece of jewelry.

She reached down to pick up one of the boots with her forehoof and turned it over to shake out her Element of Honesty necklace. As she clasped it around her neck she thought about the Element she represented and realized she _hadn't _been very honest lately. At least as far as her feelings for a certain white unicorn went. It's not that she didn't _want_ to tell her, she just didn't know _how_. But if this mission was really as dangerous as Twilight said it would be, she needed to figure out the how in a hurry. Maybe if she-

"Applejack!" Apple Bloom's voice called out and tore her from her thoughts.

She looked down to see her younger sister looking up at her with her usual cheery, hopeful expression.

"Ah think Ah finally figured out a way to get mah Cutie Mark!" she proclaimed excitedly. "But Ah'm gonna need your help. Ya see..." she paused when she finally noticed the new accessory her sister was sporting. "Say..ain't that your Element of Harmony necklace?"

"Yes. Yes it is," Applejack replied with a nod then started to move out of the room.

"Are you going on another mission for the Princess?" the younger pony asked as she started to follow her sister. "Hey! Maybe Ah can go with you! If Ah help out with a super important mission for the Princess I'm certain to get mah Cutie Mark!"

"No!" the elder sister snapped as she turned to glare at her.

Apple Bloom shrank back a bit in surprise and fear, feeling like she had just gotten in trouble and not knowing why.

"Ah just wanted to help," she said sheepishly.

Applejack's expression softened and she reached out to embraced her sister in a loving hug.

"Ah know sweetie, Ah know. It's just that this is too dangerous for a filly like you," she said in a hushed, comforting tune. "But Ah'll tell ya what, when Ah get back Ah'll help you in anyway you want to get your Cutie Mark. And you know what? Ah bet it'll work this time and you'll have the greatest Cutie Mark of all."

"Applejack?" Apple Bloom asked, hugging her sister back as a sense of dread overcame her for some reason. "What's going on?"

"It's...it's just something Ah have to do," the older Apple sister replied. "Just be good for Granny and Big Mac, alright?

"O-okay."

"Good," Applejack smiled before she gave her a light kiss on the forehead then walked out of the room.

As she made her way into the living room she spotted Granny Smith fast asleep in her rocking chair as usual. She smiled lovingly and shook her head with a slight chuckle as she moved over to her and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Take care Granny. Love you," she whispered.

She fought back a tear as she walked outside where she ran into the last member of her immediate family. They stared at each other silently for a moment before Applejack moved towards Big Macintosh on her way to leave Sweet Apple Acres.

"Leaving?" he simply asked.

"Eeeyup," she replied with just a hint of a smile.

"When you gonna come back?"

"Don't rightly know."

"_Are _you gonna come back?"

She let out a deep, sorrowful sigh.

"Ah hope so."

She suddenly found herself wrapped up in her big brother's forehooves as he pulled her into a surprisingly gentle hug. Once she got over her initial surprise, she hugged him back as best she could while nuzzling his neck slightly.

"Be careful, okay?" he requested.

"Ah'll do my best. Take care of the others," she request back.

"Always."

The siblings then pulled a part and with one last tearful wave, Applejack set off to rejoin her friends and start off on another adventure that she hoped wasn't going to be a dangerous as she seemed to think was.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

When Rarity returned home to Carousal Boutique, her mind was already racing with everything she would need to bring along for the latest adventure with her friends. If they _were_ going to go through the Everfree Forest then she would at least need to bring some bug spray to keep the nasty insects there off her. Perhaps a long jacket as well. Or just a coat. But nothing _too_ fashionable as she didn't want to get her best ensembles ruined in that awful place. Of course her friends _have_ told her not to pack so much for "simple adventures" so maybe she _should_ cut back this time. Just her Element of Harmony necklace and maybe a nice hat. And scarf to go with it.

As she tried to settle on which garments would go well together to create a "cut back" adventuring outfit, she absent-mindedly used her magic to open the door and was taken aback to find her little sister sitting in the middle of the main room cheerfully working on some project or another.

"Oh hi Rarity!" Sweetie Belle greeted cheerfully.

"Sweetie Bell!" Rarity cried out in surprise. "What are you doing here?!"

"Oh mom and dad said it was okay for me to stay here for a bit while they're off visiting Neighagra Falls," she explained.

"Of _course _they did," the elder sister muttered as she shook her head. "Heaven forbid they ask _me_ if it was okay that you stay here."

"You...you mean you _don't _want me here?" Sweetie Belle asked pitifully, her lower lip trembling a bit.

"No! No! Of course _not!_ I simply _love_ to spend time with my darling little sister," Rarity quickly explained herself. "It's just that this _isn't_ the best of times for you to be here."

"Why not? Are you going to be busy? Do you have a big order coming in?" Sweetie Belle asked, getting more excited by the second. "Oh! Oh! Maybe I can help you! I could paint designs on your dresses!"

"No!" Rarity screamed in horror but then quickly composed herself. "I mean, Sweetie, dear, one does not _paint_ the patterns on dresses. One sews them in carefully and delicately. It takes a very talented eye and hoof and I don't think you're there...just...quite...yet."

"Oh," the tiny unicorn replied, feeling a bit disappointed. "So what _can_ I help with?"

"Nothing right now as this isn't _that_ kind of work," the older sister replied as she walked towards bedroom.

"Then what kind of work _is_ it?" Sweetie Belle asked, falling in step with her.

"Royal, protecting the kingdom, work I'm afraid," Rarity replied rather seriously.

"Oh so you're helping the Princesses?!"

"More like helping Twilight help them, but yes," she replied with a nod.

"Sooo...what can _I_ do then?" Sweetie Belle asked helpfully.

Rarity sighed half out of frustration and half out of amusement of her persistence.

"You can go to Sweet Apple Acres and stay with them while I'm gone," she instructed.

"But if you and your friends are all going, doesn't that mean Applejack will be going as well?"

"Yes but I'm sure Big Macintosh and Granny Smith will be there. Plus you can keep Apple Bloom company while Applejack, the others and I are all busy."

"Oh," Sweetie Belle replied disappointedly. "Okay. Yeah I can do that."

She hung her head and slowly turned around to leave Rarity's bedroom.

"Sweetie Belle wait," Rarity said softly.

"Yeah?!" the filly asked excitedly.

She was then surprised when a gold necklace snapped itself around her neck thanks to Rarity's magic. When she glanced down to get a better look at the rather large jewel attached to the chain she was shocked to see it was a heart shaped Fire Ruby.

"Wait...isn't this..." she whispered.

"One of the most precious gifts ever given to me?" Rarity finished for her as she wrapped her littler sister into a loving hug. "Yes. Just like you. I know I'm not always the best at showing it and I can get quite...cross with you at times but I hope you know I really do love you."

"Of _course_ I do!" Sweetie Belle replied as she eagerly returned the hug. "And I love you back. But you _could_ be a little nicer you know?"

"Yes, yes I know," she replied as she pulled back. "And I promise we'll work on that...when I get back. But for now I need to get ready so if you wouldn't mind..."

"Okay, okay I'm going," the filly sighed and walked out of the room.

Rarity sighed as well as soon as Sweetie Belle was gone. She didn't like having to be so rude to her right after such a heart warming moment but there was business to be done. Twilight needed her. Her friends needed her. The Princess needed her! All of Equestria _needed_ her!

And for that, _she_ needed her Element of Generosity necklace. That thought in mind, she moved over to a beautiful painting of Canterlot she had hanging on her wall. Despite knowing she was alone, she still looked around her to see if any conspirators were spying on her to learn her secrets. Satisfied there weren't any, she used her magic to levitate the painting off the wall to reveal a safe hidden behind it. She used her magic again to work the combination that undid the lock then pulled the door open. Along with her Element of Harmony necklace there were also a few of her rarest and most precious gems that she intended to use on a garment for her special somepony. For the longest time she _thought_ that was going to be Prince Blueblood until actually meeting that uncouth stallion threw _that_ idea right out the window. After that she wasn't sure if they were e_ver_ going to be used. But lately...she felt there just might be some pony worthy of those gems. If only she could find the words to tell her. And if the danger was as great as Twilight made it out to be she had better find them soon or she might not get a chance to later.

"No!" Rarity shouted dramatically as she shook her head. "I _can't _think like that! We w_ill _make it back and then I can confess my feelings in a truly romantic setting as it _should_ be!"

With a determined smile her shook her head then slipped on her necklace and put everything back as it was before she headed off to meet the others for their latest, but _not_ last, adventure.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Once the meeting was over, Rainbow Dash zoomed back to her home in Cloudsdale where unsurprisingly she found her Element of Loyalty necklace fairly quickly. She was on her way back to the library when she heard somepony calling out to her.

"Rainbow Dash! Hey Rainbow Dash!"

The blue Pegasus spread her wings wide to slow herself down then hovered so she could see which one of her adoring fans was trying to get her attention. Somehow she wasn't shocked to see Scootaloo waving to her on her scooter. Dash refrained from rolling her eyes. The kid meant well, she was just a bit _too_ enthusiastic with her fangirlness. Which was something Dash thought she would _never_ say. Still she always had time for her biggest fan. Usually.

"Sorry Scoots, I can't stop to talk I gotta do something really important," she told her as she flew down a little lower.

"Oh," the young Pegasus muttered, her joyful expression quickly falling. "Well...that's okay. I was gonna show you an awesome new trick with my scooter I've been working on but I guess this means I can perfect it until you have time."

Dash winced, feeling like she had just broken the kid's heart or something. She scratched the back of her neck nervously as she tried to think of something to say to make her feel better.

"Look normally I _would_ like to see it and give you some pointers on making it the best, most awesome trick you could do, but I _really_ do need to get going. It's an Elements of Harmony kind of thing," she explained, pulling on her necklace for emphasis.

"Does that mean you're on a mission to save Equestria?!" Scootaloo asked excitedly.

"Something like that, yeah," Dash said a bit smugly. "I'm sure it'll come down to me to save the day. As usual."

"Wow," the filly gaped in awe. "Will you tell me all about it when you get back?!"

Something about the youthful optimism of the question made Rainbow Dash think back to what Twilight had told her and what might happen to her and the others should things go wrong. She was so caught up in her usual bravado headstrongness that she never really thought of the implications. But for some reason seeing the excited, expectant look on Scootaloo's face really brought her down to earth. Quite literally as she was now standing right in front of the filly instead of hovering over her. She didn't want her to worry though, so she put her usual brave face on as she spoke up again.

"Of course I will!" she exclaimed. "But only if you promise to do two things for me."

"Anything! Anything!" Scootaloo shouted as she bounced up and down excitedly.

"First, prefect that trick of yours cause I really want to see it when I get back," she started.

"Okay! And the other thing?!"

"Well...that one's a bit trickier. You _sure_ you gonna be up for it?" Dash teased her.

"Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes! Just tell me what it is!"

"It's real simple," the blue Pegasus remarked as she placed a hoof on top of the filly's head. "You just keep being the awesomest kid you can be! Think you can handle that?"

"Oh I can _totally_ handle that!" Scootaloo declared.

"Attagirl!" Dash cheered as she ruffled the girl's mane. "Now just keep up with that and the trick and I'll see ya later!"

She then took off again with Scootaloo looking on in awe as usual.

"See ya Rainbow Dash! I'll be ready when you get back and you'll see the biggest, greatest, most awesome scooter stunt e_ver!" _

_You got it kiddo. Cause we're all coming back from this and becoming even _bigger_ heroes after we save the Princess again,_ Dash thought confidently, making sure to push back any lingering doubts she had.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Much like Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy found her necklace rather quickly. _Unlike_ Rainbow Dash though, she was in no hurry to begin the possibly life threatening adventure awaiting her. It was one thing to _tell _her friends she'd be brave for them it was quite another to actually _be_ brave! But it wasn't like she was just abandoning them or chickening out. She just had so much she had to do around her cottage. So many animals that needed to be tended to.

"Okay so I've fed the gophers, walked the ducks, cooped the chickens, polished the tortoise, fluffed the toucans and sweatered the cats. What _else_ do I need to do...?" she pondered as she poked her chin with a hoof.

That wasn't the only thing that poked her, however, as Angel rather aggressively jabbed her left hind leg to try to get her attention. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be working as she was blatantly ignoring his efforts. Feeling more and more frustrated, he finally gave up on being gentle and just kicked her leg as hard as he could.

"Ow!" she cried out and flinched at the pain. She then turned to glare down at him. "Angel that wasn't very nice!"

His reply was to merely point at her Element of Kindness necklace and then point to the door as he thumped his now sore foot on the floor impatiently. Fluttershy's irritated expression became one of complete timidness and she shrank back a bit.

"Oh I know Angel. I _know_ I promised to be brave for my friends and I really, really _want_ to but every time I think about it..." she let out a tiny squeak and her legs started trembling. "My legs just don't seem to want to move. Maybe...maybe if I just do _one_ more task, _then_ I'll be ready to go."

Angel smacked his forehead then pointed to a group of birds on a large perch behind Fluttershy's back. They perked up when they noticed him pointing at them and watched as he gestured towards the yellow Pegasus and the door. They nodded towards each other and then him before they all flew off the perch then moved towards Fluttershy in unison. They forcefully, yet carefully, latched onto parts of her mane, tail, and coat then lifted her into the air. She let out a panicked screech and kicked her legs futilely as they started to carry her out of the cottage.

"No! No! Put me down!" she cried out helplessly.

Surprised they didn't seem to be listening to her, she was about to try bribing them but stopped herself. Deep down she knew what they were doing was right and that she _needed_ to go. Her _friends_ needed her to go. That was much more important than whatever crazy fears and reservations she might have. But given what they were all told, this time her fears and reservations are all well founded. So if she couldn't face fake fears how could she face _real_ fears?!

_With the help of my friends,_ she rationalized. _It's not like I have to do this all alone. I'll have all my friends there to help give me strength and support me and to push me when I don't want to move. But maybe they won't have to. Maybe this will finally give me a chance to get over all my fears and be the strong, assertive pony that I should be. _

The surprisingly confident expression she had quickly switched to the rather mopey one she always had when she was feeling down on herself.

_Yeah right. And _maybe_ I'll run into a flying monkey too._

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

While the others had found their necklaces rather quickly thanks to knowing where exactly they had put them, over in Sugarcube Corner Twilight and Pinkie Pie were practically tearing her room apart trying to find her Element of Laughter necklace. At least Twilight was, Pinkie seemed more interested in just bouncing all over the place like she usually did. Well that wasn't exactly true, there _was_ one moment where she asked Gummy if he had seen her necklace but that went about as well as expected.

Twilight let out a frustrated growl as she levitated another candy bowl to see if the necklace was either inside of it or under it. Not surprisingly, it was in neither of those locations.

"ARGH! This is taking forever!" she snapped. "And the more time it takes the further away Princess Luna could be moved!"

"I thought you said she was in the castle ruins in the Everfree Forest?" Pinkie asked absently as she pulled a drawer open to inspect it.

"I said she c_ould_ be there! Just like she _could_ be gone by the time we get there if we don't find you necklace soon!" the purple unicorn growled as she picked up a lamp to look under it out of desperation. "Pinkie do you have _any _idea where you could have put it?"

Pinkie stopped in her searching then dove into the closet. She appeared a second later wearing a red robe, blue ascot, and for some reason glasses as she held a bubble pipe up to her mouth.

"That's a very good question," she remarked in a mock sophisticated tone. "I remember seeing it last on a Tuesday. I know it was a Tuesday because the sky smelled especially blue that day. I was sitting at my tea table enjoying a very lovely spot of hay tea with Gummy when the table wobbled a bit so I...ohmygosh!"

She suddenly jumped up out of the clothes she had been wearing then dashed forward in midair towards the other room. She came back a few seconds later proudly wearing her necklace and beaming happily.

"Silly me, I totally forgot I used the thing to prop the table up so Gummy and I could have our tea party in peace!" she explained and gave herself a slight knock on the head.

Twilight stood still with her mouth agape in complete shock and disbelief.

"You used one of the most valuable and powerful artifacts in all of Equestrian history to prop up a TEA TABLE?!" she shouted incredulously.

"What's your point?" the pink Earth pony asked in confused.

The unicorn looked like she was about to explode into a fit of rage but then just sighed in exhaustion and hung her head.

"Nevermind. Let's...let's just go back to the library," she muttered.

"Okie Dokie Loki!"

They made their way downstairs with Twilight slowly recovering from the overwhelmingness that can come from dealing with Pinkie while Pinkie herself just bounced down the stairs in her usual cheerful mood. When they reached the front of the store they found the Cakes tending to the counter and restocking a few items.

"Oh hi girls! Did you find what you were looking for?" Mrs. Cake asked.

"Sure did!" Pinkie remarked, stretching her neck out to show off her refound necklace.

"Isn't that your Element of Harmony necklace thing?" Mr. Cake added.

"Sure is!"

"Does that mean you're on a mission from the Princess again?"

"Yes we are," Twilight stated proudly. "In fact it's an _extremely_ important mission that we need to get back to right away. Although before we go, Pinkie don't you have something you want to tell the Cakes?"

"I dunno, do I?" Pinkie asked back playfully.

Twilight rolled her eyes then nudged the pink party pony in the side before pointing to the Cakes again. Still met with a blank stare she silently pointed to Pinkie's necklace then made a slashing motion across her neck. She could almost see the gears turning in her friend's head as she tried to understand what she meant. In fact she was sure she heard a distinct "Ding" when it finally did seem to click in Pinkie's head, but that could have been a coincidence. They _were_ in a bakery after all.

"Oh yeah!" Pinkie exclaimed then rushed over to the couple and pulled them into a big hug. "You two are the bestest, sweetest, funest, awesomest, greatest bosses and landlords a mare could ever ask for! Keep up the good work on all those yummy cakes and pastries and give the twins an extra goodnight kiss from their Aunt Pinkie, okay?!"

"O-okay dear," Mrs. Cake replied a bit confused as she awkwardly returned the hug.

"We'll do all that," Mr. Cake added, mimicking his wife's movements.

"Alright!" Pinkie said as she pulled back and then started to bounce towards the door. "See ya later!"

The Cakes watched her go then looked over at Twilight in confusion.

"Twilight, dear, what's going on?" Mrs. Cake asked.

"It's...just...well...just know she really cares about you," she answered as best she could before she left the store as well.

When she got outside she just couldn't help but ask, "Um...Pinkie, don't you think you should have told them more?"

"Why? I told them how much I liked them and that's enough, isn't it?" she asked back.

"Well I suppose but you could have explained the situation better. You know, like what could go _wrong_."

"But that'd just make them worry and it's no fun to make ponies you care about worry," Pinkie waved off. "Besides why spend all your time worrying about what could go _wrong_ when you could be thinking of all the things that could go _right_?"

"To be prepared for whatever situation may pop up. You never know when something unexpected could happen!" Twilight argued.

"But if it's unexpected then how do you prepare for that?" Pinkie countered.

"Ummm...well...I suppose you can't."

"Exactly! So don't spend all your time fussing about them. Plus if you _think_ things are gonna go wrong they usually _are_ gonna go wrong! But if you think things are gonna work out for the best they usually do! That's what _I_ do all the time and it's always worked out so far!"

Twilight looked like she was about to offer another rebuttal but then stopped as she took in her friend's words. An amused smiled crossed her face as they actually started to make perfect sense. Pessimism really wasn't the thing to have in this situation. It wouldn't help get the princess back or make her friends feel any safer. All it was doing was making her a nervous wreck. So for once the Pinkie Pie way of thinking was actually the best way to handle the situation.

"You know Pinkie, sometimes I think you're the smartest pony I know," she mused.

"Well duh!" Pinkie giggled cheerfully before she bounced ahead of the unicorn.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Despite all their separate delays, the girls all seemed to return to the library at roughly the same time. The only one dragging was of course Fluttershy who was still being carried by her birds, much to the surprise of the others. Before the others could respond, however, Twilight spoke up again.

"Alright girls, the time has come," she started.

"Wait are we _not_ going to address the fact that Fluttershy was just brought here by birds?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"No time! We're on a tight deadline and we're already running late as it is! We need to get to the old Canterlot Castle in the middle of the Everfree Forest to see if Princess Luna is still there."

"We already know this part Twilight," Applejack spoke up.

"Yes and what if she _isn't_ there? Then what?" Rarity asked.

"Then..." Twilight started but then faltered and dipped her head a bit. "I don't know. Let's just hope she's there, okay?"

The others nodded in agreement.

"Now I already explained what's at stake so if anypony wants to back out, now's your chance."

Once again all eyes fell on Fluttershy who started to shake again but then quickly shook her head and forced herself to stand up tall and proud and _not_ shaking. The others smiled proudly at her with Rainbow Dash giving her a playful bump on the wing as a show of good faith.

"Alright then. Elements of Harmony! Let's move out!" Twilight ordered.

"Wait!" Spike suddenly called out, putting a stop to their charge.

"What is it Spike?!" Twilight asked in annoyance.

"You almost forgot this," the baby dragon explained as he held up her Element of Magic tiara.

She smacked herself on the forehead for being so stupid and forgetful then smiled down at him.

"Thank you Spike, I don't know what I'd do without you," she said as she bent down towards him.

"Well for one you'd have left your big crown thingie," he joked as he placed it gently on her head.

"I'm serious," she confessed before she wrapped him up in a tight hug. "You're the best assistant I've ever had and even though I already have a really cool big brother, it's great to know I have an equally cool little brother."

"Aww Twilight, don't get all mushy on me," Spike remarked with a blush even as he returned the hug. "Just be careful and come back soon, okay?"

"Okay," she whispered then pulled back.

She quickly wiped a stray tear from her eye before she turned back to the other girls and nodded. Without another word the six of them set off for the Everfree Forest to free Princess Luna before things got worse. If they were too late then hopefully they could once again stop Nightmare Moon's reign of terror without history repeating itself.

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Notes: **Well holy crap is has been awhile hasn't it?! Nearly s_ix friggin months!_ I _did_ warn you guys the next few chapters would come out a bit later but even _I_ hadn't planned on it being _this_ long! Unfortunately, though, that's what happens when you have a weird summer schedule, an incredibly busy normal work schedule, play Patherfinder every other weekend and have a mountain of DVDs and comics to go through as well as dealing with your muse being less than cooperative. But _still_ it shouldn't have taken me six months to finish this chapter and for that I do completely and sincerely apologize. I'll definitely try to make sure it never happens again. Just count this an early Christmas gift? Or just a Christmas gift if you don't read it before then. Hey at least it's a longer chapter for a longer wait. That counts for something, right?

So, anyway about the chapter itself, it actually took a different turn than what I was originally planning. There _were _supposed to be more scenes with Luna and Dark Sky and the Elements of Discord but it just felt better narratively to stay with the Mane Six throughout this chapter. Especially with all the heavy emotional stuff going on here. I'll try to work in some more lighter moments next time but honestly this is where this thing is gonna start to get more and more dramatic. So you've been warned.

Now you may notice that some of the scenes referenced stuff from season two even though this was started _way_ before there was a season two and obviously the stuff with Discord doesn't fit in with that season at all. So what exactly from season two is "canon" in this story? Well I haven't quite figured that part out yet. It's mostly what I feel fits the scene or story over all and can be moved about to take place before the start of this fic. Fortunately this show does have its continuity light eps that can be moved around so it's not too much of a problem. Still not sure what else I'll be writing in so it'll all happen when it needs to happen.

For now, I'm going to rest and enjoy my holidays and I hope the rest of you do as well.

See ya next time!


	12. The Nightmare Becomes Reality

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

**The Elements of Discord**

**Chapter 12: The Nightmare Becomes Reality**

Deep within the Everfree Forest and even deeper inside the ancient remains of Canterlot Castle, Sledge stood alone amid long forgotten artifacts and magical relics. Of course he _hadn't _been alone a few minutes ago, but when his new "fearless leader" decided to go off on her own the rest of the Elements of Discord decided to go their own ways as well. Even Hammer wandered after Stampede in all his love struck glory. So that just left the grey stallion by himself to really sit back and think about what he was really getting out of this business arrangement. So far it wasn't much. In fact it was nothing. Sure he had been _promised_ riches and powers but so far Dark Sky had yet to deliver. And if she really _was_ going where she said she was, then there was every reason to believe she might not make it back. And if _that_ was true then what exactly was keeping him there?

The simple answer was...nothing.

The more complicated answer was that if she _did _succeed then not only would he _not_ get all the things he was promised but he could also be on the bad side of a fairly powerful unicorn and a boogeymare made flesh. Neither of which were very appealing ideas.

"Two minutes," he decided. "Two more minutes then I'm gone."

Fortunately, he didn't even have to wait two more seconds as a bright light suddenly filled the room and when it dissipated Dark Sky and Princess Luna were standing right in front of him. Although Luna wasn't standing for very long as the spell circle she was teleported into started to glow just before energy tendrils lashed out and forced her to the floor. As she struggled against the surprisingly powerful spell she saw Dark Sky walk up to her with a genuinely remorseful look on her face.

"I'm sorry Luna," she spoke softly, kneeling down to her eye level. "This was a spell I set up beforehoof and I was hoping I wouldn't have to use it but you left me no choice."

"But you _did_ have a choice Sky," Luna remarked as she struggled against her magical restraints. "You could have chosen _not_ to abduct me. You could have chosen to _fight_ against Discord's influence. You could have chosen to come to me as a friend and let me _help_ you."

"Oh Luna," the unicorn said softly as she reached out and gently caressed the princess's cheek with her hoof. "Can't you understand that _I'm_ helping _you_? I'm giving you back the power of Nightmare Moon! We can take on your sister again and this time we won't have to do it alone! As I told you, the Elements of Discord reside in some ponies and I've gathered them all right here-they'reallgone!"

Dark Sky stared in disbelief when she turned around to find the room almost totally empty of other ponies. The only other pony besides herself and Luna she found was Sledge who seemed just as surprised and confused as her but for other reasons. Of course she wasn't interested in those reasons and only wanted to know one thing.

"Where is everypony?!" she bellowed at the grey stallion.

The held a hoof over his ear to try to tune out some of the mad mare's scream that reverberated off the stone walls then composed himself before he calmly answered.

"They left," he stated matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean they _left_?! I was gone for about five minutes!"

"And they all took off pretty much immediately after that."

"Didn't you think to s_top_ them?!" she growled, glaring dangerously at him.

Despite the murderous look, he kept his cool.

"I'm not being paid to be a foalsitter. In fact, so far I haven't been _paid_ at all," he remarked rather snidely.

"Oh for..." she groaned as she brought a hoof up to her face. "And here I thought Treasure Hunt was the Selfish one." She brought her hoof down and looked at him again. "Look I told you before, once this is all over you'll get plenty of riches. Heck you might even get your own country out the deal when you're one of the top stallions for the new Empress of the Night."

"I hear a lot of talk but I see no bits," Sledge snarked.

The silver maned mare growled then ignited her horn again and used her powers to push the bigger stallion against the wall.

"Or you could be grateful that I offered to pay you at all. I _could_ just take over your mind and _force_ you to do what I want," she threatened as she tighten her magical grip around him. "I can to do it too. There are _plenty_ of spells in that book for just that reason."

"Okay, okay," Sledge choked out as he struggled against the blue tinged aura. "I'll stick with the original deal."

"Good," Dark Sky remarked casually as she let him go.

She barely acknowledged him catching his breath as she walked back over to where Luna was held captive. Once again her expression softened as she kneeled down to look her friend in the eyes.

"Don't worry Luna, this won't take long," she reassured her. "We'll have you back to your old self in no time."

"But I _am_ my old self," Luna tried to convince her again. "It is _you_ who needs to return to your old self. To the mare that was my friend. My only friend," she said with a soft sigh as she closed her eyes. "Who remained a nice, gentle pony even though life had been difficult to her. The pony who _I_ should have tried to be like instead of listening to my own stupid, selfish needs."

"_She_ was a fool," the unicorn growled. "She let other ponies push her around and torment her. She weak! She...she didn't deserve to be the friend of a princess," confessed, her eyes tearing up a bit.

"Yes she did," Luna replied in a comforting tone and tried to reach out to her friend but the energy bonds still held her back.

"No!" Dark Sky suddenly snapped, turning away from the bound Alicorn.

She closed her eyes to fight the tears back and when she opened them again light flash moved across her pupils.

"This is the only way," she reaffirmed in a more confident voice. "You'll see. This will all work out for the best."

With that she started to leave the room but stopped when she finally seemed to remember that Sledge was still in the room.

"Can I trust you to watch _her_?" she asked in a heavily snarky way.

Sledge let out a frustrated sigh but still nodded.

"I think I'll be okay," he replied with barely restrained annoyance.

"Good," Dark Sky nodded back but then quickly closed the distance between them. "But let me make _one_ thing perfectly clear. You're just going to _watch_ her. Do not _touch_ her! Not even one hair on her head! If I come back and find _anything_ different then so help me..." she threatened, making sure to poke him in the chest for emphasis.

"Alright, alright I got it!" the Earth pony snapped back.

"You _better_," the unicorn growled before she moved towards the door again.

"Sky please!" Luna pleaded once more. "I beg you not to do this! We can resolve this peacefully! I can help you! Let me help you! Please!"

Dark Sky ignored her friend's frantic pleads and continued to walk out of the chamber. She used her magic to close the door and once it was shut, she let out a deep sigh as her shoulders slumped.

"I told you Luna, _I'm_ helping _you_," she said softly, almost regretfully. "I just wish you could see that."

She let out a deep exhale to rid herself of her unsure feelings and regain her strength so she could confront her "teammates".

"So I wonder just how much trouble they could get up to in such a short amount of time?" she asked herself idly as she started to climb the stairs to the upper chambers.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Her question was answered almost instantly when she reached the next level of the decrepit castle as she quickly found Stampede and Hammer bucking some of the smaller wall remnants. Or rather Stampede was doing the bucking while Hammer just watched from the sidelines and cheered her on.

"Yeah! You go girl!" the purple stallion called out as he waved on fore hoof in the air.

The black and scarred mare seemed to ignore his enthusiastic encouragement as she continued to kick over the last remaining bits of the wall. Once it was all knocked down, she let out a few tired huffs before she finally seemed to acknowledge Hammer's presence.

"Hey chunk-style, instead of standing there flapping your lips why don't you do something useful like throw some of those rocks my way?" she snapped at him, gesturing to some of the bits of rubble lying around with her right forehoof.

"Huh? What you mean these ones?" Hammer asked uncertainly, poking one of the rocks next to him. "Are you sure?"

"Course I am! Now shut your trap and DO IT!" she screamed.

He let out a high pitched squeal in surprise and involuntarily scooped up one of the bigger stones and threw it towards Stampede. Undeterred, the mad mare stood up on her hind legs and effortlessly knocked the bit of rubble out of the sky, smashing it to smaller pieces. When she came back down on all fours she actually seemed to smile a bit but of course it quickly faded.

"Not a bad start. Now quit playing around and launch one of those bigger pieces at me!" she ordered.

"Or you two could stop messing around and get back to chamber you were _supposed_ to wait in!" Dark Sky growled, finally making her presence known.

"Oh goody, the bossy unicorn is back," Stampede snarled. "Get your _princess_ friend to agree to come with you, did you?"

"_Something_ like that," the mare responded flippantly. "Of course you _would_ have seen that had you waited like you were _supposed_ to!"

"You're not the boss of me," the earth pony muttered as she turned away from the unicorn.

"Actually, I'm _exactly_ the boss of you," Dark Sky corrected.

"Uh...she kinda has a point," Hammer spoke up meekly.

"And just whose side are you on anyway?!" Stampede snapped at him.

The stallion sank down on his haunches as he looked nervously between the two strong willed mares. As his eyes darted back and fourth, his body began to shake uncontrollably and soon enough he brought his forehooves up to cover his head as he fell completely to the ruined floor.

"Please don't make me choose!" he begged.

"You won't have to," Dark Sky reassured him then looked back up at Stampede. "Just as long as _both_ of you come along with me to get the others."

"Pfft! Whatever," Stampede grumbled as she kicked a rock away from her with her hind leg but nonetheless started to walk over to the dark blue mare.

Giving a quick sigh that the conflict as over, Hammer stood back up and followed closely behind the two mares as they went off in search of the rest of their unruly group.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Again the search wasn't too long as after only a short bit roaming the former castle grounds, they picked up on the sounds of somepony yelling. Upon following the ruckus they found Heartless hovering several feet off the ground and clutching something tightly in her forehooves. Though they couldn't quite make it out from their current position, whatever it was certainly held Treasure Hunt's attention as the orange Earth pony was frantically jumping up and down to get it from the Pegasus. Of course that didn't say much as it seemed _everything_ held that pony's attention. But given her frantic wails and flailing this was much more important to her than anything she just found lying around. Which might actually be the whole point of this little exercise given how the very edges of Heartless' mouth were upturned very slightly to make a hint of a smile. The _only _hint that she was getting any kind of enjoyment out of what she was doing.

"Give it back Heartless!" Treasure Hunt cried out again as she jumped up towards the Pegasus once more. "Give it to me now!"

"No," the white winged pony replied in her usual soft, almost emotionless voice. "I've grown rather fond of it. Perhaps I shall keep it."

"NOOOOOO!" the Earth screamed in horror and her forehoof flailings become more erratic. "Gimme! Gimmie! Gimmie! It's mine! Mine! MIIIIINE!"

"Idiots," Stampede muttered irritable.

Though she didn't say anything, Dark Sky couldn't help but agree with the mad mare's assessment of the situation. Though she did _try_ to hide her annoyance as she approached the pair.

"What are you two doing?"

She didn't do a very good job at it.

Regardless, Treasure Hunt seemed overjoyed when she saw the unicorn.

"Oh Sky! Good you're back!" she said as she trotted over to her. "Maybe _you_ can talk some sense into her for me!"

"What exactly did she _do_ anyway?" Dark Sky asked, glancing up at the still mostly blank faced Heartless.

"Well see, I was just looking around out here for stuff I could add to my collection and then that pesky Pegasus snuck up on me and took my precious lantern!" Treasure Hunt explained, glaring daggers up at her teammate.

Dark Sky let out a frustrated sigh that would make Stampede proud then looked up at the Pegasus.

"Heartless, _why_ did you take her lantern?" she questioned.

"Because I was bored," Heartless answered matter-of-factly.

"Well could you give it _back_ to her so we can get on with it?!"

"I...suppose..."

"Yes!" Treasure Hunt cheered happily.

Unfortunately, her happiness left almost instantly when instead of simply just handing the orange lantern over, Heartless slowly, agonizingly so for Treasure Hunt, held it out on one of her forehooves, letting it dangle there by the handle. The black maned Earth pony shrieked in annoyance and before she started her routine of jumping and flailing again.

Growing just as frustrated with the situation, Dark Sky rolled her eyes and in doing so caught a glimpse of the storm cloud that usually followed her around. She had been so busy and indoors enough lately that she had actually forgotten about it for awhile. Instead of letting it depress her like usual, she instead hit upon an idea on how to solve the problem before her in a timely manner. Closing her eyes and steadying her breath she focused on the cloud as she channeled her magic through her horn. Feeling the connection between her unicorn and Pegasus halves growing stronger, she reopened her eyes and concentrated on moving the cloud. Much to her delight it finally seemed to listen to her mental commands and with a satisfied smile on her face she ordered it to rush forward and knock into Heartless.

Which it did just that, roughly jolting the Pegasus to the side and causing her to loose her already tenuous hold on the lantern.

"My lantern!" Treasure Hunt shrieked as she watched her most precious possession fall to the ground.

She jumped forward with her front hooves outstretched and after a quick, and rather painful, slide on her stomach she managed to catch it safely.

"I got it!" she cheered then curled herself into a ball to clutch it as tightly as she could. "It's mine again! All _mine_! My precious."

"Yeah that's great," Dark Sky shrugged off. "Now pick yourself up and let's find Trixie and Crimson Streak and get this show on the road!"

"I'll still get more treasure for helping out, right?" Treasure Hunt asked.

"Yes. All you can carry and more!"

"Yay!" she cheered again then quickly picked herself and tucked the lantern back in her saddlebag before moving next to the unicorn.

Heartless landed near her as the Stampede and Hammer came up to her as well. Once she was sure they were all ready to follow her again she nodded then led them back into what remained of the castle to find the last two of their group.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Elsewhere inside the castle, in what used to be the Grand Library, Trixie walked amongst the dusty and rotted bookshelves. Or at least those that hadn't been completely ravaged by time and the elements. Unsurprisingly, those shelves that were still standing were completely barren. She knew it was a long shot but she had hoped there might have been something that was overlooked. A book, a scroll, even just a scrap of parchment. _Something_ that might have given her the advantage over Twilight Sparkle when they meet up again so that she could humiliate her back. But there was nothing except emptiness and debris.

"Story of my life lately," she mumbled as she absent-mindedly kicked one of the half-worn bookshelves.

Much to her surprise the small nudge was enough to tip over that surprisingly unstable shelf and send it towards the ground with a thunderous crash. She jumped in surprise as the sound echoed off the ancient walls while splints and dust were sent into the air, causing her to have a small coughing fit.

"Well _that_ was smooth," a voice in the darkness mocked her.

"What?! Who's there?!" Trixie asked, jumping up a bit in surprise.

"Don't worry, it's just me," Crimson Streak replied as she stepped out of the shadows.

"Oh," the blue unicorn remarked with a bit of a sigh. "So what are you doing here anyway?"

"I think the better question is, what are _you_ doing here?" the crimson colored Pegasus asked back with a knowing smile.

"Trixie was merely exploring is all," she declared, slipping quickly into her stage persona.

"Uh huh," Crimson Streak nodded, unconvinced. "You know, for the 'Element of Dishonesty', you're not a very good liar."

"Trixie does not _need_ to lie to likes of _you_! The Great and Powerful Trixie does not even need to acknowledge you at all!"

"And yet you're here talking to me. Funny that."

"Trixie is merely humoring you for her own amusement."

"Right, right, whatever you say," Crimson Streak nodded before she wrapped a foreleg around Trixie's shoulders and drew her in close to talk more conspiratorially with her. "Listen, Trix, we're both ponies who have a habit of...bending the truth. We're also not really ponies to let other ponies tell us what to do. So what do you say you and me make a pact? We play along with Dark Sky and her crazy idea until the opportunity arises for _us_ to rise up and snatch power away from her. What do you say buddy? You and me? We could rule this kingdom _together_!"

Trixie's expression remained neutral as she slowly reached a hoof up to push Crimson Streak's hoof off her shoulder. She then took a few steps away from her all while keeping the unconvinced look on her face.

"And what reassurance does Trixie have that _you_ won't betray her after we have betrayed Dark Sky and the others?" she asked.

"Um...my...good word?" the Pegasus replied back with a forced, friendly smile.

The unicorn stared at her some more.

"And you say _Trixie_ is a bad lair," she scoffed as she up turned her nose and started to walk off.

Crimson Streak let out a slight huff of annoyance before she grinned again and trotted over to walk in line with Trixie.

"Okay, okay, fair point. But here, how about this? What if you and I-"

"So _there_ you two are!" Dark Sky's voice rang out through the old library, cutting off the mare's suggestion.

She looked around as she walked up to them, truly taking in the dilapidation of the room that she had missed on her hasty stop off she had when she first broke out of her stone prison. A quick wave of nostalgia and sadness washed over her as she remembered the great times she and Luna had in here over a millennium ago. She was only brought out of her slight daze by a blur of movement out of the corner of her eye. When she looked back at the two mares before her she saw Crimson Streak had moved away from Trixie and had a rather guilty look on her face.

"What were you two doing in here exactly?" she asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"Me? Nothing! Nothing at all! Just taking in the sights is all," the red Pegasus answered a bit too quickly.

"Trixie was merely stretching her legs until you came back," the blue unicorn explained, sounding much more convincing.

Of course, Dark Sky _wasn't_ convinced given the Elements the two represented. Unfortunately she didn't have the time to properly deal with them now but it was definitely something she would have to come back to in the future. Once everything was all said and done of course.

"Fine," she finally replied rather flatly. "Just come with me. Now that we're all back together and Luna is downstairs in the summoning chamber we can _finally_ begin my true plan. And woe be it to any mare foolish enough to try to stop me."

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

_Here we are, Born to be kings,_

_We're the princes of the universe_

Deep inside the Everfree Forest, the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony walked side-by-side through the treacherous terrain. They wore grim expressions as they each mentally prepared themselves for the battle to come.

_Here we belong, Fighting to survive,_

_In a world with the darkest powers_

They steeled their nerves as they thought of the possible outcomes. Sadly, given what they now knew, even a victory didn't even mean a win. At least not for them personally. But they all knew this was bigger than them and that thought pressed them onward.

_And here we are, We're the princes of the universe,_

_Here we belong, Fighting for survival_

Still all of what _could_ go wrong lingered in the back of their minds. Though they hoped for the best but were ready for the worst. It weighed heavily on them and put them in a somber state of reflection as they marched on.

Well, _most_ of them anyway...

_We've come to be the rulers of your world,_

_I am immortal, I have inside me blood of kings_

"Pinkie, what the _hay_ are you singin' now?!" Applejack asked in exasperation, surprised even s_he_ could still be jolly in the face of everything.

Pinkie, for her part, stopped mid-verse then arched an eyebrow in thought for a moment.

"Oh I don't know!" she replied, her usual wide grin reappearing. "It was just something that came to me and felt right!"

"Yeah but it's even weirder than your usual songs," Rainbow Dash remarked. "'We're the princes of the universe'? What does that even _mean_?!"

"Also we should be prince_sses_ of the universe," Rarity pointed out.

"Except that we're here to _save_ a princess! Not _be_ princesses!" Twilight spoke up, bringing them all back to the matter at hoof.

"We know sugar cube, we know. And _most_ of us are focused on that fact," Applejack reassured her, sending a knowing glance Pinkie's way.

"Oh Applejack!" the pink mare giggled. "You can sing and still be focused. Thinking otherwise is just silly." Her eyes suddenly beamed even brighter. "Oh! That just made me think of another song!"

"Should Ah be scared?" Applejack whispered to Rarity.

"Probably," the white unicorn replied.

"_Who's a silly pony?_

_You is!_

_Who is?_

_Applejack! _

_Bumping into gates and knocking over fences! _

_Who is?_

_You is!_

_Applejack!_" Pinkie sang cheerfully as she bounced forward.

"Now wait just one dog gone minute there Pinkie Pie!" the cowpony snapped as she moved to stand in front of her, causing her and the rest of the group to stop. "Now Ah don't have a problem with your songs, heck some of them are even a might catchy, but Ah won't stand by idle while ya make one that makes me look some bumblin' fool."

"Well there was that _one_ time..." Rainbow Dash began.

"Ifinna ya mean the time Ah tried to help you with your stunts, you _know_ Ah was overworked and tired. Otherwise ya'll know Ah am _not_ like that!" she insisted with a hard stamp of her hoof on the ground.

Unfortunately, that ground happened to be unstable and enough of it gave way beneath her to trip her up and send her rolling down the side of the hill they had all been standing on. The world turned into a spinning mass of blotchy shapes and colors until she quickly, and rather roughly, landed at the bottom of the small valley.

"Applejack!" Rarity called out in terror.

"Hey AJ are you okay?!" Rainbow Dash called out in concern as well.

"Ah...Ah'm just...fine. Just...a little...dizzy," the blonde mare replied as she tried to get her eyes to stop spinning like the rest of her body.

"You sure you okay?! Nothing broken or anything?!"

"No, no Ah don't think so!" she called back, bending her front and hind legs just to be sure. "Nah Ah seem to be fine!"

"Oh. Good! Then...ahahahahahahaha!" Rainbow Dash cackled, falling onto her back and rolling side-to-side.

"Gee _thanks_ RD, now Ah feel..." she stopped mid sentence when she happened to catch a glimpse of something in front of her. "Hey ya'll get done here! Ah think Ah found something!"

"What is it?!" Twilight called out.

"Just come down and see!"

The others looked at each other before then shrugged and Rainbow Dash took the air and grabbed Twilight to carry her down the hill while Fluttershy did the same for Rarity. Pinkie, of course, chose to follow Applejack's lead and rolled down the hill, giggling happily as she did so. Once they were all at the bottom they moved next to Applejack to see what she had discovered. It turned out to be a tunnel carved through the mountain. A very old tunnel from the looks of it.

"Where do you think it goes?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Probably to someplace scary. So we, uh, we shouldn't go through it and just keep going the way we were going," Fluttershy advised in a slightly frightened tone.

"So where do you think it goes?" Applejack asked Twilight.

"I...don't know..." the purple unicorn asked half-heartedly as she stared intensely at the tunnel.

"What is it darling?" Rarity asked as well, interested in her friend's sudden fascination with this new find.

"Again I don't know but...I just have this feeling," Twilight responded as she slowly started to walk forward.

"You're not actually going in there are you?!" Fluttershy cried out in horror.

"You girls can go on the other way if you like but...something's telling me to go this way," she muttered. "So I'm going to follow my instinct and see where this path goes."

"Then _we're_ going with you!" Rainbow Dash said proudly.

"We are?" Fluttershy squeaked.

"Well of course! You're not about to let your friend wander off into a dark, scary cave alone are you?"

"I..." the yellow Pegasus stammered as her eyes darted around in panic a bit. She then closed them and steadied herself. When she reopened them there was a surprising look of determination in them. "No. No I'm not."

"That's the spirit!" Rainbow Dash cheered, giving her an encouraging pat on the back.

"Yay! Adventure!" Pinkie cheered again as she bounced forward towards Twilight. "And Twilight's starting to use her Twilight sense!"

"What?! I don't have a 'Twilight sense'. I just have a...a...feeling!" she defended herself.

"That's how it staa-arts!" Pinkie nearly sang as she trotted into the tunnel.

The others followed suit but quickly found out what little light _did_ shine in the Everfree Forest didn't go too far into the tunnel itself. Twilight and Rarity were quick to light up their horns to use as impromptu torches. Which quickly revealed real torches set into the walls.

"Where's Firestar when you need her?" Twilight mumbled half jokingly.

"Who?" Rarity asked.

"Oh that's right. I didn't get to actually tell you the names of the original Element bearers. Well you see..."

"Uh Twilight, look I'm sure we would _all_ like to know about the ponies who came before us, but do you think you could hold off story time until _after_ we're done with the mission?" Rainbow Dash remarked.

"Oh. Right," the unicorn replied with a slightly nervous giggle. "Sorry I just got caught up in the idea of telling another interesting story."

"Yeah I know but we got more pressing matters like you said."

Twilight nodded then started to walk forward, using the light of her horn to guide the rest while Rarity hung back near Applejack to even out the light for the group as a whole. They were quiet as they walked along with only the sounds of their hooves gently hitting the soft dirt floor beneath them filling the chamber. Even Pinkie seemed a little more reserved as she kept to merely humming her songs rather than flat out singing as before. After a few more feet of silence, Rainbow Dash finally spoke softly to Twilight who she had fallen in step with.

"You know, as geeky as almost launching into the story was, it _was_ nice to see the old Twilight again," she said.

"Uh...thank you?" Twilight replied unsurely.

"Look I'm just trying to say you haven't really been yourself since this whole thing started. I know you're stressed about it, we _all_ are, but you can't let it overwhelm you. Otherwise you'll freeze up at a crucial moment. Remember how scared I was of messing up my Sonic Rainboom as the Young Flyers Contest?"

"As I recall you were so scared you actually traded places with ponies behind you in line."

"Yeah and when have you ever known me to do _that_?!"

"Never," Twilight giggled.

"Which is the point I want to make. I know you want to save Princess Luna and that you're worried what might happen but you can't be _too_ worried about it. You just gotta be worried enough to keep your head in the game but not enough to psych yourself out. You get it?"

"I think I do," the unicorn nodded. "Thanks Rainbow."

"Hey what are cool, fearless friends for?" Rainbow Dash remarked with a boastful grin.

"I _thought_ they were for borrowing your books and taking their sweet time to return them," Twilight countered with a grin.

"Hey! I've just been busy! I'll get through that Daring Doo book eventually! I've...just been busy."

"Suuuure..."

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Inside the summoning chamber, Luna lied almost helplessly on the floor. There really wasn't much else she _could_ do. At least not physically. It seemed the more she struggled the stronger the magical bonds holding her became. Which she was sure was the point of the spell given who cast it. Sky always was one to carefully craft her spells. So with physical escape nearly impossible at the moment she decided to go a different route and focused on the tall, grey stallion watching over her.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, gaining his full attention.

"Because Dark Sky told me to," Sledge answered flatly.

"I meant why are you helping her?"

"Well aside from the part where she threatened me, she also promised me a rather big payday when this is all said and done."

"And do you truly think she'll honor that agreement?" Luna asked pointedly. "Do you think _Nightmare Moon_ will?"

Sledge shrugged nonchalantly. "Too late to worry about it now. Besides, from what I've heard Nightmare Moon wants followers, right? Do you think she'll care if she has to _pay_ for one?"

"You don't know her like I do," the night princess said sorrowfully.

"I'm sure. But again I'm only here for one thing," he reminded her.

"So then are you the Element of Greed?"

"Nope. That's Treasure Hunt. And she's supposed to be the Element of Selfishness though she _is_ more greedy than selfish," he mused with a light tap of his chin.

"The two are often interchangeable and never endearing," Luna practically admonished him.

"Yeah well I never said I was a perfect pony," Sledge shrugged off once again. "And if you're trying to trick me into letting you go then you're wasting your time. I wouldn't even know _how_ to break the spell."

"Not that he _could_ even if he did," Dark Sky's voice remarked.

Sledge jumped in surprise as he looked towards the doorway along with Luna to find Dark Sky leading the other Elements of Discord and Hammer into the room. She cast an annoyed look towards Sledge but quickly turned her focus to Luna to whom she gave a more frustrated and hurt look.

"You _still_ don't get it, do you?" she asked, her voice quivering with mixed emotions. "If I do this we can be happy! Together..."

"We can be together _without_ you defiling my soul," Luna shot back, own emotions somewhere between anger and sorrow. "Why can't _you_ see that no good will come from reawakening that monster?"

"Because...because..." Dark Sky faltered as she struggled to think of a reason. Her eyes began to soften for just a second before they flashed once more and narrowed again. "Because this is just the way it _has_ be! You'll see...one day you'll _thank_ me for this!"

"And one day you'll see what a mistake this is. But no matter what happens I want you to know that I already forgive you. It is not your fault," Luna sighed as she closed her eyes and laid her head back down on the floor as if accepting her fate.

Dark Sky stared at her for a second longer before she finally started move towards the podium which held the book containing the spell that she used all those years ago. Though of course now she would need to alter it slightly but she was sure she had already figured that out

"Alright everypony, take your places," she instructed the others.

"What places?" Treasure Hunt asked.

"For the spell to work."

"Do we need to stand anywhere in particular?" Trixie questioned.

"Just stand by the marking of your Element," Dark Sky clarified, starting to grow frustrated.

"And what exactly are our stupid Element's markings?" Stampede growled.

Dark Sky then let out growl of her own as she slammed her face down on the book in annoyance. She then pulled herself out of it then stepped down and showed them all where to stand in the circle around the captured princess. Once that was settled she moved back to the podium and checked over the spell again.

"Alright. Now, let's begin..." she declared.

"Oh! Wait, I-" Treasure Hunt started.

"We're beginning!" Dark Sky snapped, quickly silencing the mare and cutting off any other interruptions the others might have been pondering. "Good. Now then..."

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Not too far from the abandoned castle, the bearers of the original six Elements continued to make their way through the surprisingly long and well built tunnel. Their trek came to an abrupt stop, however, when the tunnel suddenly opened up into a rather large abyss.

"Whoa!" Twilight called out, grinding to a halt just before the edge. "Looks like the end of the line."

"So where exactly _are_ we?" Applejack asked, trying to peek over her shoulder to get a better look at their surroundings.

"I'm not really sure," the unicorn confessed.

"Wait..." Rainbow Dash muttered before she jumped out of the hole and used her wings to carry her upwards.

She also used them to clear away from the heavy fog that seemed to permeate the area and when she did she could see about a yard above them an old, rickety bridge swinging lightly in the wind.

"Hey! That's the bridge from the first time we came here!" she called out. "We're almost to the castle!"

"How the heck did we end up here?" Applejack asked, scratching her head a bit in confusion.

"This must have been an old escape tunnel from the original castle," Twilight reasoned.

"An escape tunnel? Why ever would they need that? Or why would either of the princesses or _any_ member of nobility want to go through these _ghastly_ tunnel?" Rarity asked, completely appalled at the idea

"Well it's not like this was their _first_ choice," Twilight pointed out. "Usually tunnels like this are only used when important heads of state or royals need to get away from an invading force undetected."

"That's great and all, but why exactly does it lead into a cliff side?" Applejack asked.

"Obviously this was built _before_ the accident that created this chasm. They also must have built that bridge to move out of the forest when they decided to resettle," the purple unicorn mused as she gently tapped her chin. "And if this _was_ all one piece at one time then..."

She let the sentence trail off as she stared out into the abyss and squinted her eyes to look past the fog. Though it was barely visible she could make out a matching hole in the other mountain across the way.

"Ha! I _knew_ it!" she cheered then looked up at her friend. "Hey Rainbow Dash, then you can give us a hoof?! Or rather a wing?"

The blue Pegasus smirked as she immediately picked up on the other mare's meaning.

"You got it!" she said happily.

She then zoomed down to the level of the opening and began to flap her wing vigorously to sweep away the fog to reveal the second opening to the others.

"There we go!" Twilight smiled.

"So...um...how are we all going to get across?" Fluttershy peeped.

"Well you can take Pinkie while Rainbow takes Applejack then you can come back for Rarity and I," Twilight instructed.

"Pardon my intrusion darling but couldn't you just teleport us over to the other side?" Rarity asked her friend.

"I...I don't know. I might be able to but I've never done that with another pony before," she explained hastily. "Any number of things go could wrong. I could miscalculate the distance and sending us both to our deaths! Or there could be some horrible mix up when we reappear and it could merge us together as some horribly monstrosity!"

Despite her newfound reservations on the idea, Rarity merely brushed them off and put a comforting hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

"They _could_ happen but they _won't_," she reassured her friend. "Because I believe in you."

Twilight's eyes watered a bit from how touched she felt by the other unicorn's trust in her but she quickly recovered and merely nodded in response. Soon enough they were enacting her plan with Rainbow Dash picking Applejack up and effortlessly and flying her across the pit. The same couldn't be said for Fluttershy though, who almost seemed like she was going to drop Pinkie until the Earth pony deployed some of her trademark balloons from her seemingly bottomless saddlebag that helped to even out the load. Once the other four were safely across, Twilight motioned for all of them to move back then looked over to Rarity. They each shared a confirming look before the unicorn's embraced each other and then disappeared in a flash. They reappeared in the other side of the tunnel just in front of their friends with only a slightly woozy feeling.

"Woof. Well...that went...well. I suppose," Rarity remarked, her head still spinning a bit.

"I told you hadn't done it with any other pony before," Twilight explained as she shook the daze from her own head.

"Apparently so," the white unicorn mumbled as she leaned against Applejack for support.

"Well now that we're all here, let's get going!" Rainbow Dash said impatiently, moving somewhat ahead of the others.

The rest nodded and quickly followed in her hoofsteps, though it wasn't long before Twilight took the lead again to light the way. This time their walk didn't take nearly as long as soon enough they came upon a set of stairs leading up to some kind of door.

"Hey, where do these stairs go?" Rainbow Dash asked Twilight.

Twilight glanced at them for a second before looking back at the Pegasus.

"They go up," she deadpanned before she ascended the stairs.

When she reached the door she pushed on it to get it to open but it wouldn't budge. She tried a few more times and nothing.

"I think it's stuck," she grunted as she continued to try to force the door open.

"Let me try sugar cube," Applejack offered.

The two switched places and Applejack turned around then braced herself against the well-worn stairs before she kicked the door with her hind legs. It moved a little more than it did for Twilight but otherwise stayed put. Growling, the Earth pony tried again and this time the door started to give way. With one more thunderous kick, it finally gave in and flew open, flipping out to crash into the other side of wherever it led.

That turned out to be the floor of the castle where the door had been disguised as just another brick. The six mares climbed out of the tiny opening and looked around at their new surroundings. Or rather their rather _old_ surroundings. The castle was much as they remembered it from the last time; cold, damp and run down. Certainly a place they would never _choose_ to go if they didn't have important business there.

"So which way do we go now?" Fluttershy wondered, not really enthused to go anywhere but knowing they would _have_ to sooner or later.

"I don't..." Twilight started but then stopped when she noticed a bright flash coming from behind one of the ancient wooden doors. "There!"

They ran towards the door and once again Applejack used her impressively powerful legs to break the door in which gave away _much_ easier than the trap door. When they piled into the room they where shocked by the sight before them. There, in the center of the room, suspended by some magical aura coming from six other mares was Princess Luna. She looked to be in some kind of trance or at least completely out of it as the magical field around her pulsated around her body. Though their sudden break in didn't seem to interrupt the process it certainly didn't go unnoticed.

"_YOU!_" Trixie growled, focusing her heated glare squarely on Twilight.

"Do _not_ break the circle!" Dark Sky instructed. "They can't stop us now!"

"The heck we can't!" Twilight declared vehemently.

"No...you...can't..." Luna corrected her in an ethereal voice. "For...once...again..."

The glow around her suddenly intensified to the point where it was blinding. There was one last surge of energy before it seemed to erupt and force all those around her back. The air seemed still and silent for just a moment afterwards as all the ponies present recovered from the wave. Once they were able to open their eyes again they stood in awe, either happy or horrified, at the darkly majestic figure now standing before them.

"Nightmare Moon lives!" the Empress of the Night proudly decreed before breaking into a fit of maniacally laughter.

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Notes: **Well another season down and another chapter with it as well. In fact this is the second year anniversary of the fic here. Which makes this chapter's ending all the more fitting as an anniversary "event" type thing. Of course it was _always_ going to lead here but the timing works out well enough. More or less depending on when this actually gets posted.

But for now Nightmare Moon is back! How will our heroines deal with her return? What part will the Elements of Discord play into the events about to unfold now? Will there be a massive take down battle between the two groups? Will darkness reign eternal throughout Equestria? Will I ever be able to make these updates on more timely manner again? Will anyone get the reference in the chapter title? Will anyone get _this_ reference I'm making now?! Find out next time! Same pony time! Same pony channel!

P.S. or maybe that should be post edit. Anyway I remember something I forgot to mention above. Mostly because I finished this up at 2:00am and was literally fighting off sleep to get it completed. Anyway, the bit with Pinkie singing Queen's "Princes of the Universe". I did that becasue the way the scene played out in my mind, the soundtrack would be playing that song as the Mane 6 walked all badass in a line through the Everfree Forest and it was just too good to NOT put it in there. But of course it would seem a rather out of place as I don't have any other songs in this so far and didn't want it to become a song fit out of nowhere. Plus how do you fit a human song into a pony world without it's being too awkward. Answer? Pinkie Pie of course! Her randomly singing isn't out of place cause that's what she does and as for how she knows that song? Well...she's Pinkie. That's all the answer you need.


	13. A Nightmare In Canterlot

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

**The Elements of Discord**

**Chapter 13: A Nightmare In Canterlot **

The Elements of Harmony stood stalk still as a feeling of deja vu overcame them. Here they were in the ruins of the old castle deep in the Everfree Forest face-to-face with the Mare in the Moon. Quite literally the stuff of nightmares. Just like the adventure that had brought them all together in the first place. Only this time their bonds of friendship were even stronger and they already knew how to use their elements to banish this evil.

Of course that would require them to do more than just standing around with their jaws hanging open while Nightmare Moon laughed manically.

"Oh the Elements of Harmony, how _nice_ it is to see you again," the dark mare sneered.

The remark brought Twilight back to reality and she narrowed her eyes as she took a step forward.

"Alright girls, we need to-"

She was cut off by a blast from Nightmare Moon that sent her tumbling backwards and knocked off her Element of Magic crown.

"Not this time," Nightmare Moon snarled but then quickly smirked. "I would so love to stay and chat with you but I _do_ have a kingdom to conquer. Successfully this time. But I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again real soon."

Her maniacal laughter echoed off the stone walls again as her mane and tail seemed to swirl out and engulf eight ponies standing behind her.

"Oh no you don't!" Rainbow Dash called out then flew towards the disappearing mist.

Sadly, not even she was fast enough to catch them and by the time she closed the small gap between the two groups Nightmare Moon and her entourage were already gone. Unfortunately, this meant that Rainbow Dash had nopony to tackle and therefore nothing to stop her momentum. Except of course the wall on the other side of the room. She bounced off it with a rather impressive "thud" that matched the one she made when she hit the stone floor.

"Rainbow!" Fluttershy called out as she flew towards her injured friend.

"Dashie!" Pinkie echoed, bouncing forward along with the yellow Pegasus.

"I'm fine," Rainbow Dash grumbled as she rubbed her sore shoulder. "Just sucks that they got away."

"What?! They got _away_?!" Twilight shrieked from the other side of the room where she was being similarly helped up by Applejack and Rarity.

She brushed the two mares off of her then stood and stared desperately at the circle Nightmare Moon and her lackeys had stood just seconds before. Her legs shook in despair and she fell to the floor again.

"They _are_ gone. I failed..." she whispered in a defeated tone.

"Horse hockey!" Applejack exclaimed.

"What?" Twilight looked up at her in confusion.

"You ain't failed nothing yet. We're still standin', right?" she then looked at Twilight again then over to where Rainbow Dash was still lying on the floor. "Well most of us anyway. We're still here and _that's_ what's most important."

"No, that's the biggest problem! We're _here_!" the purple unicorn cried out, stamping her hoof on the floor in frustration. "And _they_ could be in Canterlot by now! They could even be in the castle already!"

"So what?" Rainbow Dash asked as she stood up herself. "Let's just go after 'em."

"Don't you get it?!" Twilight cried hysterically. "We don't have _time _to get them! Even _if_ we were to use the train we _still_ have to walk all the way back to Ponyville and _then_ take the train to Canterlot! Who knows what they could in all that time?!"

"All right Sugercube, just calm down," Applejack said softly as she gave her friend a calming pat on the shoulder.

Twilight still stared at her rather crazily at first but then the reassuring smile the cowpony gave her helped her regain her composure just a bit. She let out a deep sigh and finally seemed to settle down a bit. At least enough to listen to what her friend had to say which she acknowledged with a small nod.

Applejack nodded back before she continued. "All right, now the problem is Nightmare Moon and her cronies just used that teleportin' trick to get to Canterlot ahead of us, right?"

"Yes," Twilight agreed with a slight crack in her voice.

"And you can do that same trick, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So why don't you just teleport us all there so we can be right on their tails?"

That suggestion seemed to cause a bit of a panic in Rarity who started vigorously shaking her head behind Twilight's back which caused Applejack to raise an eyebrow in confusion. Twilight, meanwhile, rubbed her chin with her right hoof as she mulled the idea over. Eventually she sighed and shook her head as well.

"No, it won't work," she said dejectedly. "I just don't think I can take all of you with me."

"What are you talking about? I've seen you zap Spike with you all over the place!" Rainbow Dash scoffed.

"It's not that easy Rainbow! Spike's _one_ baby dragon! That's completely different from _five_ ponies! I just can't do that!"

"Silly Twilight!" Pinkie giggled. "You shouldn't believe in the words 'can't'! & 'don't!' Ponies tell me I can't do things all the time but I do them anyway!"

"Yeah I know," Twilight mumbled before she let out another sigh and spoke loudly again. "But I just don't want to take the chance of hurting you girls."

"Except that you won't," Applejack reassured her again.

"But how do you know?!" she stressed.

"Because we trust you," the orange Earth pony confided. "Ain't that right girls?"

"110%!" Rainbow Dash agreed.

"Totally!" Pinkie Pie cheered with one of her usual bounces.

"Um...yes. Of course," Fluttershy **a**dded timidly.

Their eyes then all turned to Rarity who was uncharacteristically quiet. She noticed them all staring at her then let out a soft sigh before a wide smile spread across her face.

"Well, naturally we trust you darling," she spoke up.

Twilight looked around at her friends and not since the first time since she came to Ponyville felt a heartwarming tinge in her heart. She returned their cheerful smiles with a small nod.

"All right girls, if you really trust me I'll try it. But we're all gonna need to get in close," she advised them. "And probably put our hooves on each other's shoulders. I think the physical contact will help with the spell."

They all nodded in agreement before they moved into a circle formation and balanced on their hind legs as they laid their forelegs on each others shoulders. Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself then closed her eyes in concentration. Her horn began to glow as it usually did when she used her teleportation spell but instead of being confined to just her, it quickly began to spread out to cover the other five. Her face scrunched up and a bead of sweat started to run down her face from the effort of conjuring the spell. Soon enough light completely enveloped them all just before it intensified enough to fill the whole room then quickly winked out of existence.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

A few short miles outside the city of Canterlot a bright flash appeared in the sky and dumped six disoriented ponies to the surprisingly hard ground below. Although it wasn't far up enough to cause them any major harm it did add some level of soreness to their already jostled bodies.

"Did somepony get the number of that apple cart that ran us over?" Applejack groaned as rubbed her sore head with a foreleg.

"Cart shmart, that was a train that hit us," Rainbow Dash countered from her place face down in the dirt.

"Wheeee! That was _fun_!" Pinkie exclaimed and bounced back up to her hooves. "Let's do it again!"

"Please...no more..." Fluttershy whimpered.

"Yeah Ah don't think any of us, especially Twilight, could take another round," Applejack said, standing on uncertain legs.

"Where is Twilight anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked, using her wings to lift herself up.

"Over...here..." a weak voice mumbled.

The girls ignored their own pain to rush over to Twilight's side who was still lying in a rather undignified heap.

"Everypony okay?" she asked as Rainbow Dash helped her to her hooves.

"We're a bit worse for wear, but we're okay," Applejack told her.

"And...everypony made it, right?" Twilight asked again, leaning on Dash for support.

"Yep! We're all here and doing okey dokey!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed with an energetic pounce.

"Wait. Where's Rarity?" Applejack asked after a second glance at the group.

The answer to her question came in the form of a retching sound that made then all wince a bit. When they looked in the direction it came from they saw Rarity's backside sticking out from a bush with her head buried deep within it. It was quite clear from the sounds she was making that the trip didn't exactly agree with her stomach and she was _trying_ to be discrete about it. She was just failing miserably. After a few more wet sounding coughs she pulled her head out from the bush and wipe her mouth with her right forehoof before she turned back to the others. When she realized they were all staring at her, she game them a very embarrassed look.

"Please don't tell anyone," she begged.

"Don't worry Rarity, we won't be tellin' anypony," Applejack assured her.

"But _we_ may make fun of you for it," Rainbow Dash quickly added.

"That's not-" the cowpony started but stopped when she couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Well that's kinda true."

Rarity let out an offended gasp then narrowed her eyes at the two before she turned her nose up at them.

"Well, some _friends _you two turned out to be," she scoffed then trotted passed them.

"No! Wait! Ah didn't-!" Applejack started but then sighed before casting a quick glare of her own at Rainbow Dash.

"What'd I do?" the Pegasus asked dumbfounded.

"Wait...where are we?" Twilight spoke up again, cutting off the rest of the conversation. "This doesn't look like Canterlot."

"Looks like we're in the mountains just outside the city," Fluttershy said then squirmed backwards a bit. "The very _high_ mountains!"

"Then...we need to start...walking. Fast!" Twilight declared and tried to step forward but her legs quickly gave out on her.

She would have fallen to the ground had Rainbow Dash not caught her in time.

"Woah there Egghead! You're not _walking_ anywhere!" she told her.

"But...we _have _to get to the castle," the unicorn insisted.

"And we will," Applejack reassured her as she walked over to the weakened pony. "But you're in no condition to make it down these mountains by yourself. So..." she knelt down, "...you're just gonna have to get a ride."

"But...I can't let you carry me," Twilight tried to politely refuse.

"Shucks gal, you can't be any heavier than some of those apple buckets Ah've carried all over the farm."

"Besides, it's not like you have much of a choice," Rainbow Dash smirked before she gently placed Twilight on Applejack's back.

"But..." she tried again.

"No buts! We're going!" the Earth pony exclaimed as she stood up surprisingly easily.

"Thanks Applejack...I just...hope...we..." Twilight trailed off as her exhaustion finally overtook her and she passed out.

"Don't worry Sugarcube, we will. Ah _know_ it," Applejack stated as she and the others started down the mountain.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Celestia let out a deep sigh as she halfheartedly read over the daily report her assistant had given her. She had hoped that going about her usual routine would help take her mind off Luna's disappearance, but it was to no avail. She just couldn't keep from worrying about her sister's safety. Nor could she keep herself from thinking about the worst possible outcome for this situation. Such as if Twilight and her friends _didn't_ succeed and that monster returned again. Would events truly play out exactly as they had a thousand years ago? Would she have to banish her sister for _another _millennium? Would the Elements of Harmony die once again? Would she fail everypony who trusted her one more time?

_No!_ She screamed to herself mentally as she shook her head vigorously. _I must _not_ allow myself to think such thoughts! Twilight and her friends _will_ succeed! I have faith in them and I know it will be rewarded. _She then sighed as a worried expression crossed her face. _So then why can't I shake this overwhelming feeling of dread?'_

A frightful laugh suddenly cut through the air and caused her to jerk upright and lose her mental grip on the paper. Her eyes grew wide in terror and a chill ran through her body when she recognized that particular laugh.

"No…" she whispered desperately.

"Oh yeeesss..." the voice replied in a jubilant hiss.

Celestia watched in horror as blue, star filled mist appeared a few feet away from her throne. It swirled and swished until it finally solidified into the form of Nightmare Moon. The dark mare smirked maliciously at the Sun Goddess who seemed to be incapable of doing anything more than staring at her in shocked terror.

Thankfully the guards at her side had no such problems.

"Stop right there!" one of the unicorn guards commanded as he lit is horn threateningly.

"Oh please!" Nightmare Moon scoffed before she used her own horn to send the guard flying across the room.

The three Pegasus guards in the room flew towards her in an attempt to rush and subdue her. Unfortunately they were all easily swatted away with a wave of her mane.

"They never learn, do they?" she smirked before she turned her attention to the last guard, a red colored Earth pony who was simply glaring at her. "Well, aren't you going to try to make a futile attack as well?"

"Oh believe me, I'd love to," he replied in a southern accent. "But I just can't bring myself to hit a lady. Even if that lady is a horrible demon determined to attack the princess."

"Very noble," Nightmare Moon nodded in respect. "Stupid but noble."

She then tried to blast him as well but her attack was deflected by one from Celestia before the princess jumped in between her guard and her corrupt sister.

"Go!" she ordered him without looking at him.

"But-" he started to protest.

"I said GO! Get the other guards! I'll hold her off until you can return!"

The red Earth pony looked between the two Alicons indecisively for a second before he let out a frustrated grunt then turned and ran for the doors. Nightmare Moon's serpent-like eyes watched him leave but they were quickly drawn back to Celestia as she forced her way into the dark mare's field of vision.

"Your fight is with _me_, not _him_," she declared.

"Too true," Nightmare Moon agreed almost casually.

She flashed a quick smirk before she used her magic to wrap up all four of Celestia's legs then quickly flipped her and hurled her across the room. She crashed into the throne and toppled it over on her way to the floor. Her crown slid along the marble floor with a slight scrapping sound as she started to recover from the sneak attack. Before she could stand, however, Nightmare Moon was on top of her, jamming an armored hoof into her chest to keep her pinned down. She tried to restrain a groan of a pain as she looked up into her twisted sister's hate filled eyes.

"I'll let you in on a little secret," Nightmare Moon nearly hissed as she lowered her face to Celestia's. "It doesn't matter that your guard got away. For you see I've done what you've always said I should have, sister dear. I made some friends! And right now my friends are taking care of all your pesky little guards so that we can have some...family bonding time. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!."

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Huh? What was that?" an Earth pony guard asked his partner as they walked down one of the long hallways of the palace.

"What was what?" the other one asked back.

"Thought I heard something..." he explained as he looked around suspiciously.

They were then startled when another guard came flying in between them and crashed to the floor unconscious. Once they were over the shock of it, they looked in the direction he had come from to find a black coated mare covered in scars and with tapped hooves walking around the corner.

"All right," Stampede spoke as she cracked her neck, "who's next?"

The guards glanced at each other before they both rushed her. Stampede smirked before she ran forward as well. The guards seemed a little surprised by this action but continued in their charge. The last second before their collision, however, Stampede dropped to the floor so that they passed harmlessly over her. When they spun around to try to capture her again, they were met with her hind hooves smashing into their snouts. As they reeled back in pain, Stampede sprung around and yanked one of the guard's helmets off their head by grabbing its crest with her teeth. She swung it around to strike the other guard's helmet, which created a loud "clang" sound that reverberated in his head and disorientated him. As he stumbled backwards she swung the helmet back around to its original owner and struck him in the side of the head with it hard enough to knock him out. She spit the helmet out of her mouth then planted her forehooves firmly on the floor and bucked backwards at the still dazed guard with all her strength. She was fortunate enough to catch him right in both eyes with enough force to knock him back into the wall and knock him out as well. She took a moment to smirk at her handy work but her triumph was short lived when another guard called out to her from behind.

"Halt right there!" he ordered.

Stampede spun around in order to fight him as well, but she didn't get the chance as Hammer came charging into the hallway and slammed into the guard and sent him crashing to the ground.

"Hey!" Stampede yelled as she ran over to him. "I don't need any help!"

She then took her right forehoof and hit the guard's exposed face hard enough to knock him unconscious along with his friends. She let out a small huff before she gave Hammer a look that could only be described as a slightly less-than-angry look as she usually had.

"But...thanks," she said a bit reluctantly.

"You're welcome, my angry angel," Hammer beamed.

"Yeach," Stampede bleach in disgust. "And now you ruined it. Let's just go."

"Coming dear," he said as he trotted along behind her.

"Seriously. No more talking out of you."

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Outside the castle, in one of the highest pulpits, a pair of Pegasus guards surveyed the area for...something. They weren't sure _what_ they were looking for, they had just been told to keep their eyes open for something unusual. That "something" took the form of a black cloud slowly moving over part of the castle. The one guard that spotted it blinked a few times just to make sure he was seeing right. When didn't disappear he nudged his follow guard in the shoulder.

"Hey," he said.

"What?" the other Pegasus asked, looking towards him.

"That look weird to you?" the first Pegasus asked back, pointing to the cloud.

The second guard peered over his shoulder to look at the slowly moving cloud.

"Huh. Yeah that is weird. I mean I don't _think_ there were any clouds scheduled for today," he mused.

"And why would it be black? Nopony said anything about a thunderstorm, did they?" the first guard remarked.

"Not that I heard."

"We should probably go check it out then."

"Right," the second guard nodded.

With that, they jumped off the pulpit then spread their wings to glide down towards the errant cloud. When they reached it they flapped their wings so they could hover along side it for inspection. They poked and prodded it but there didn't seem to be anything really unusual about it. One of the guards rubbed his chin with his right forehoof in thought as he leaned in for an even closer look. He was rewarded with a pair of hind legs springing fourth from the cloud and kicking him right in the face. He groaned in pain as he tumbled through the air and eventually crashed onto one of the top walkways of the castle. The other guard then watched in shock as a red coated Pegasus came flying out of the top of the cloud. She hovered long enough to stick her tongue out at him.

"Catch me if you can, loser!" Crimson Streak taunted before she flew off.

He stared blankly in surprise for a second but quickly recovered and flew after her.

"Stop right there!" he ordered as he tried to catch up.

"Make me slowpoke!" she called back as she began to circle around one of the pulpits.

He smirked before he turned and dove towards the other side of the pulpit to catch her as she came around. He was surprised, however, when he rounded the cornered and found no sign of her. He scratched the side of his helmet in confusion before he noticed a small window in the pulpit next to him. He smirked again then cautiously poked his head inside. Again he didn't immediately see her until he looked up and saw her just in time for her to slam both her back hooves into his snout. His body went limp as he passed out and started to slump backwards out of the window. Crimson Streak quickly grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into the small room where she left him in a heap before she flew back outside. When she emerged from the window she found the guard she had struck earlier back in the air with a few reinforcements. All of whom where glaring angrily at her.

"So I don't suppose you boys would want to just talk this out, would you?" she laughed nervously.

"Get her!" the lead guard cried out.

"Guess not!" she shouted before she zoomed off with them quickly following behind her. "Oh this had _better_ be worth all this trouble!"

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The Royal Palace Theater was specially built so that Princess Celestia could have a place to enjoy private plays shown in her honor. Of course not being arrogant enough to believe she _needed_ plays done in her honor, she instead used it to entertain visiting dignitaries or the guards when they need to relax after work or as many of the townsponies that could fit in the theater for special events like the annual Hearth's Warming Eve play. Other than those times, the theater largely sat empty and undisturbed. Which is why the sign hanging on the door that read "Show Starts In 5 Minutes" piqued the curiosity of two earth pony guards who happened to walk by.

"Do you remember hearing anything about a show today?" one of the guards asked.

"Nope. In fact I thought we were supposed to be on lockdown for...reasons," the stallion remarked. "Wait. Why _are_ we on lockdown?"

"I dunno," the mare shrugged. "The princess is being all secretive about it. We're just supposed to be on the look out for anything that's suspicious."

"Well, an unannounced show seems kind of suspicious, doesn't it?"

"Yep. Let's go."

They pushed the double doors open and stepped inside to find the small theater empty. As they surveyed the room they found nothing odd or out of place.

"Everything looks normal here," the stallion remarked.

"Yeah. Maybe they just left the sign out by mistake," the mare guessed.

"Maybe..." the other guard mumbled as he glanced towards the stage. "Wait. Are the curtains supposed to be opened or closed when the theater's not in use?"

"I dunno, I don't know how it works," she remarked as she doubled checked the area.

"What? You never been to a play before?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

She shrugged. "Never really appealed to me," she said as she peeked under one of the seats.

"Well...maybe we should go to one sometime," he said rather sheepishly.

Her head snapped upwards and she stared at him in shock. "Are you asking me out on a _date_?!"

"I...no! Well...I...maybe. It's just..." he stuttered.

"I really don't think this is the time for that!"

He was about to speak again when one of the spotlights suddenly came to life and startled them. They turned back toward the stage where the circle of light was shining on the dark red curtains.

"Welcome mares and stallions! Colts and fillies of all ages! You are about to bear witness to the amazing magical feats of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" a voice announced from behind them.

The two guards watched in surprise and confusion as the curtains pulled back to reveal the light coated mare standing center stage in the spotlight. She balanced herself on her hind legs so she could give a few exaggerated bows for the nonexistent crowd.

"Thank you! Thank you everypony!" she greeted excited.

The two guards stared at her completely dumbstruck for a moment before they looked at each other then quickly back to Trixie.

"Hey! Stop right there!" the mare called out.

"You're under arrest in the name of Princess Celestia!" the stallion added.

"But then you'll miss the Great and Powerful Trixie's Show of Wonder and Amazement!" the unicorn declared.

Surprisingly this actually made the male guard give pause.

"She does have a point," he remarked.

His partner just glared daggers at him which made him shrink back a bit.

"Nevermind."

"For her first trick, Trixie shall dispatch two palace guards without even lifting a hoof!" Trixie informed the nonresistant audience.

The guards readied themselves for some kind of attack but were surprised when the carpet they were standing on suddenly sprang to life and wrapped itself around them with the tassels going into their mouths as makeshift gags. Trixie smirked before she focused her magic on the chandelier hanging right above them. It took a little bit of wiggling but eventually she was able to snap it free from it's perch and bring it down around them to trap them even further. When it was all over she began to give a few exaggerated bows.

"Thank you! Thank you! Trixie has always loved a _captive_ audience!" she proclaimed.

The mare rolled her eyes then started to bang her head against the metal frame of the chandelier in an attempt to just knock herself out already.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Sledge peeked his head out from behind a broom closet door and looked both ways to see if it was clear before he stepped out into the hallway. He adjusted the armor he had "borrowed" from a passing guard as Dark Sky came up beside him.

"So _why_ are we doing this again?" he asked as he fiddled with the helmet.

The unicorn merely sighed at having to repeat herself.

"Because this way we can walk freely through the castle halls without anypony really noticing. And if somepony _does_ question us we just say that you're showing me around the castle. Then we can find where the biggest collection guards is and knock them all out at once," she explained.

"Maybe _you_ can with your magic but it's a bit tricker for _me_ to do that," he countered as they started to move down the hallway.

"I'm sure a big, strong stallion like yourself can hold his own," she retorted with a roll of her eyes.

They had barely begun to walk down the corridor when a red coated guard came running towards them in a panicked state. He nearly passed them up in his hurry but quickly skidded to a stop then turned back towards them.

"Terrible, horrible news rookie! The castle's under attack! The Princess has already been taken! We need to act fast!" he declared in a frantic, southern accented voice.

His panic subsided a little bit when he finally took in the scene before him.

"Waitaminute, who is _this_?!" he asked, casting a suspicious eye on Dark Sky.

"Oh, this? This is my girlfriend sir," Sledge quickly devised and wrapped a foreleg around the unicorn to help sell the story.

Dark Sky suppressed her shudder and look of disgust in favor of a bright smile as she cuddled up next to him.

"That's right sir. He was just showing me around the castle," she explained in the best clueless, girly voice she could muster.

The other guard stared at them both for a moment, his suspicious look growing for a just a bit before it faded with a shrug.

"All right," he said but quickly grew grave again. "But this isn't the time for her to be wandering around alone! There are evil forces afoot!"

"Oh no! Evil forces! That sounds scary!" Dark Sky shrieked and buried her face in Sledge's shoulder.

"Uh, sir, maybe it'd be safer for her to be in one of the guard rooms," Sledge suggested.

"Good point, rookie. I was already own my way to one of the break rooms to gather up the troops. We'll leave her in there with a couple of the guys while the rest of us go save the Princess!" the head guard declared.

The "couple" nodded then followed behind him, trading sly looks behind his back. Thankfully they didn't have to follow him for very long before they came across a door labeled "Guard Break Room 3." The red guard pulled the door open and hurriedly ushered them in. Once inside they were taken a bit a back to see about 20 or 30 guards in a large room just sitting around eating snacks, reading papers or books and chatting amongst themselves. They were so relaxed, in fact, that only a few of them looked towards the three as they came in. That is, of course, until the red leader spoke up.

"Men! We have a mission!" he barked, causing them all to jump to attention.

"Yes sir!" they all called back in unison.

"Actually, no you don't," Dark Sky spoke up with a sneer.

"What?" the red stallion asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

"I think you've all been working too hard and deserve a nice, long nap," she stated as her horn started to glow. "Now...SLEEP!"

A bright wave suddenly washed over the room and caused all the guards to fall the ground in a deep sleep. She smirked then looked back at her surprised companion.

"There, that's one batch down," she said confidently.

"What did you do?" Sledge asked in awe.

"Just a little sleep spell I've been working on. They should be fine in a few hours. Though we should probably still lock them in here just to be on the safe side."

He nodded slowly before he backed out of the room. Once she was out as well, he pulled the door closed then kicked the handle off. When he turned back to Dark Sky he noticed she was still glaring at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Girlfriend?" she asked back with an arched eyebrow.

"It was the first thing that came to my mind," he defended himself.

"You couldn't have said sister?"

"Look it worked, didn't it?"

She scoffed then turned around. "Whatever. Just don't get any funny ideas from that."

"Oh don't flatter yourself," he muttered as he took the lead again.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Elsewhere in one of the lower levels of the castle, a Pegasus guard lie bound and gagged on the floor. He had been checking on a strange noise he heard when felt something strike him on the head and then he woke up to find himself stripped of his armor and tied up like this. He struggled against his bonds but the rope was tied so tightly and was so course they any movement just seemed to cause more pain. Which he was quickly coming to realize was _exactly_ what his captor wanted. He watched apprehensively as the white coated, blue-maned Pegasus slowly circled him with a surprisingly clam expression on her face. For some reason that disturbed him more than anything. To the point where he actually flinched when she stopped and brought her face close to his.

"Do you know how many feathers you have in your wings?" she asked in soft, even voice.

He looked confused at the question but then quickly shook his head, hoping that would satisfy her.

"Neither do I," Heatless said as she moved over to his wings. "Not even in my own wings. But it's something I've always been curious about."

She then lowered her head and closed her teeth around one of the feathers. She tugged on it for a second, causing the guard's eyes to water from the pain, before she slowly plucked it out. He let out a muffled cry from around his gag and looked up at her as best he could. He shuddered at not just the image of one of his feathers in her mouth but also the fact that she was smiling ever so slightly around said feather. It got a little wider after she spit it out.

"Perhaps it's time we both found out," she said before she repeated the action, earning her another quiet scream. "One."

Another feather pulled.

"At."

And another.

"A."

One more.

"Time," she finally finished after she spit out the fifth feather.

The guard closed his eyes and tried not to whimper as he realized that this was just the beginning...

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

In the deepest level of the castle, far removed from the other goings on inside, two Earth pony guards stood in front of two large, elaborately decorated wooden doors. The one standing in front of the left door was maroon colored and looked as if he was guarding the doors to Princess Celestia's throne room itself. The other guard, an orange stallion, looked as if he was about to fall asleep standing up. The peaceful reprieve ended, however, when the maroon guard's expression changed to a questioning one before he spoke up.

"Hey," he said.

"Huh?!" the orange one replied, startled a bit from the break in the silence. "What?"

"You ever wonder why we're here?"

"I dunno. It's one of life's great mysteries isn't it?" he replied rather profoundly. "Why are we here? Where are we going? Is there an afterlife or is this all there is? I dunno. But it keeps me up at night."

The maroon guard just blinked in surprise.

"I...meant why are we here in front of this door," he clarified.

"Oh. Well then I don't know," the orange stallion replied with a shrug.

"What was all that stuff about the afterlife?"

"Nothing!"

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No."

"Well anyway," the guard spoke again to get the conversation back on track. "I was just wondering why _we're_ always the ones who have to stand in front of these doors."

"I thought it was cause we were supposed to guard the treasure," the other remarked.

"But see that's the thing, as far as I know nopony even knows we _have _a treasure here. I'm pretty sure most of the citizens believe the whole country just kinda runs on magic."

"Well it kinda does."

"You know what I meant!" the maroon guard snapped. "Not even Princess Celestia comes down here. I'm beginning to think they only reason they put us here is because they want us out of the way."

"Hey that's fine by me," the orange pony replied with a smile. "Let all those other guys doing all that patrolling and guarding and walking," he listed as he looked over at his companion, "I'll just stay right here where nothing ever happens."

When he turned his head around again he was greeted by the sight of another orange pony, this one was a mare with saddle bags, standing directly in front of him.

"Hello!" she greeted happily.

"AAAAHHHH!" the both shrieked in surprised.

"Who are you?!" the maroon one asked in a panic but then quickly corrected himself. "I mean, stop right there!"

"I'm Treasure Hunt!" she replied in answer to his first remark. "I'm supposed to knock you guys out and tie you up to get you out of the way but..." she paused and seemed to sniff the air. "...I smell treasure behind that door."

"Well...yeah, it's the treasure room," the orange guard explained.

"Hey! You're not supposed to tell anypony that!" the maroon one snapped at him.

"I knew it!" Treasure Hunt cheered! "So do you think one of you could give me the key and then tie yourselves up so I can just go ahead and get the treasure?"

"What?! No! Why do you think we'd do that?!" maroon guard asked incredulously.

"So I wouldn't have too. See that seems like a lot of hard work and I don't want to hurt myself."

He sneered then looked to his companion. "You s_ure_ she's not related to you."

"Hey I told you I already have a sister and I don't talk about her!" the orange guard remarked.

"So you guys _aren't_ just going to give me the keys and tie yourselves up?" Treasure Hunt asked disappointedly.

"No!" the shouted unison.

"Aww..." she whined. "Oh well I guess I'll just have to do this the hard way."

Her next few actions happened so quickly that neither guard was sure just _what_ happened, all they knew was they were suddenly thrown across the room into a heap and then tied up with Treasure Hunt standing victoriously over them. She smirked then reached down and snatched the keys from the maroon guard's armor. She unlocked the doors to the treasury and hurriedly pushed them open, her eyes sparkling just like the mounds of coins, gems and other various important looking objects inside.

"Oooohhhh..." she cooed as if in a trance before she stepped inside.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Celestia glared at the twisted creature that was once her sister. It had been nearly an hour since she had been captured and she long since given up trying to escape from the magical restraints she had been placed in. Instead she merely tried to tune out all the gloating and taunting Nightmare Moon had been doing. Which was a bit harder than she thought given that she had a tendency to slip into Luna's use of the Royal Canterlot Voice when she found Celestia wasn't listening to her. And when _that_ finally failed to elicit a response, the dark mare resorted to something truly devious and hateful; she started eating a special cake Celestia had been saving!

"Mmmmm...this cake is soooo goooood..." Nightmare Moon practically purred in an exaggerated manner. "I can see what you hid it away."

She cut off another fork-full of the comedically large slice with her magic and grinned wickedly at the captive Celestia as she slowly slipped it into her mouth and made another show of chewing it. For her part, Celestia continued to just glare silently at her, the novelty of the "torture" quickly wearing off. Though she was still _greatly_ annoyed as she _was_ saving that cake for special occasion.

"You want this cake?" Nightmare Moon teased, hovering the plate in front of her.

Celestia did all she could to hide her desire that she _did_ want that cake.

"Too bad!" the other mare snapped as she pulled it away and laughed manically.

"So is _this_ the extent of your revenge, Moon? This childish display of pettiness?" she remarked flatly.

"Oh no, no, no, I have much _bigger_ plans, dear sister," Nightmare Moon assured her as she stepped off the throne she had reset. "This is just the icing on the cake, if you'll pardon the expression."

She floated the plate to cart holding the rest of the cake then wiped the sides of her mouth with a napkin before she moved over to her captive sister.

"You'll find out what they are soon enough but first I have to wait for _my_ loyal subjects to show up."

There were three, short knocks on the door right after her statement.

"Ah that must be them now," she smirked then used her magic to open the door.

Sure enough, the Discord ponies walked into the throne room fresh off their individual victories over the guards.

"Oh that as the most fun I've had in awhile," Stampede said excitedly. "When do we get to do it again?"

"Patience, you'll get your chance soon enough," Nightmare Moon told her then turned back to Celestia to gloat some more. "You see? With _my_ six warriors-"

"Eight," Hammer stated in a matter-of-fact way.

"What?" the dark mare growled as she turned her head back towards him.

"With Sledge and I here, that makes eight," he clarified.

"Fine," she sighed. "My _eight_ warriors-"

"Seven," Celestia said in much the same way Hammer had.

"What?!" Nightmare Moon snapped, spinning her back to the princess in annoyance.

"I only count seven 'warriors' there," she pointed out.

Growing increasingly annoyed, Nightmare Moon turned back to her cabal once again and looked them over more carefully this time. There were indeed only seven ponies standing there. It took her a moment to realize who was missing.

"Where's Treasure Hunt?" she asked the others but then quickly realized the answer to her own question. "Wait. She's in the treasury of course." She sighed then turned back to Celestia one last time with an awkward smile on her face. "Excuse us for a moment, won't you?"

She then disappeared in a puff of blue star filled smoke. The remaining seven ponies shuffled around a bit awkwardly in front of the bound Celestia.

"Sooo..." Sledge said, trying to break the tension.

Fortunately he didn't have to think of anything else, as the cloud quickly reappeared bringing with it both a frustrated looking Nightmare Moon and a disappointed looking Treasure Hunt.

"Get. Get over there," The Empress of the Night muttered as she shoved the orange mare over to the group with her muzzle.

"Awww, but there was still so much cool stuff for me to pick up!" Treasure Hunt whined. "I mean look at this cool ring I found."

She then held up a small golden ring with four pearls around it with her left front hoof. While Nightmare Moon looked less than impressed with it, Celestia's eyes widened just a bit at the sight of it but she tried to keep the reaction hidden for fear of raising their suspicions.

"I don't know who could wear it though, it seems kinda small even for a unicorn horn," the Earth pony remarked as she studied the small piece of jewelry.

"Put. It. Away," Nightmare Moon growled through gritted teeth.

Treasure Hunt gave another disappointed sigh but did as she was told and placed the ring in her saddlebag which caused Celestia to let out a small breath of relief.

"NOW THEN!" Nightmare Moon proclaimed, drawing all their attentions. "_If_ there are no further interruptions..."

She waited to see if anypony would make any kind of motion or look like they were about to speak. When she was sure they weren't, she nodded and finally turned to her sister.

"As I was saying," she started again, "I have been giving my plan some thought recently and decided to change one thing."

She paused for effect as she turned and walked towards the window.

"You see in the past I tried to make the night last forever," she continued. "But as I thought it over I began to realize that those ungrateful ponies out there don't _deserve _to look upon my gorgeous nights." She sneered and placed her front hooves on the window ledge. "After all they could always turn away from them. Hide indoors. Go to sleep. Or light candles to banish the night away! So why should they get to see my hard work if they're not going to appreciate it?!"

She let out a huff of anger but then quickly calmed herself and turned back towards her sister and the others.

"Of course they don't deserve to see the sun either," she remarked, glaring daggers at Celestia as she walked over to her. "So I thought of something a little more...fitting for them." She looked towards Dark Sky. "If you wouldn't mind that is."

"Me?" the unicorn replied in surprise. "Why me?"

"Because Sky, my dear, I was hoping you would allow me to spread what you consider your curse to all of Equestria. They mocked you just as they mocked me. Well let's see how funny they think it is when they are cut off from _both_ the moon and the sun as you have been."

Dark Sky gasped in shock of this idea at first but the more she thought if over the more she came to like it. Her face contorted into a hateful smirk as it quickly began to fill her with malicious glee.

"Yes. Yes I think it's time they felt my pain," she agreed. "So what do I need to do?"

"Merely lend me your strength," Nightmare Moon told her as her horn flashed to life.

Dark Sky nodded then ignited her own horn and waited for her friend's next move. Nightmare Moon stepped forward then lowered her head until their horns touched. The magic fields surrounding them melded together as they shared their energies. Dark Sky braced herself as a wave of power unlike anything she had ever felt before surged through her body. Both their eyes glowed as their magic intensified as the spell began to take effect.

"Now let an age of darkness consume this land," Nightmare Moon commanded.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Twilight stood amongst the ruins of the castle surrounded by the bodies of guards and various other ponies. As horrific a sight as it was, what pained her the most were the bodies of her friends lying beaten and bruised at her hooves. Their Elements of Harmony necklaces had been snapped and the jewels inside them shattered. Her own tiara had been crumpled and tossed aside like so much discarded paper. A wave of nausea washed over her from both the sight of the bodies and her own injuries finally catching up with her. Nevertheless she fought to keep standing. She couldn't have let her friends die for nothing. She s_till_ had to defeat Nightmare Moon somehow and at least save Princess Celestia.

She stared with one eye up at the Empress of the Night who loomed over her on a monstrous looking throne and cackling like a madmare. At the base of the thrown laid the bloodied and beaten body of Celestia who looked only slightly worse than Twilight herself. The princess weakly raised her head to give her student an almost accusatory glare.

"Why couldn't you save anypony, Twilight? Why couldn't you save...me?" she asked sadly before her head fell over limp.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Twilight screamed in agony.

"What the hay?!" Applejack shouted as the purple unicorn started to thrash around on her back.

After a second or two of moving about, Twilight finally woke up just in time to fall to the ground.

"Ow," she muttered, rubbing her sore head.

"You okay, Twilight?" Applejack asked as she and the others gathered around her.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine," Twilight assured them as she stood up. "I just...had a bad dream is all."

"Is your strength back, dear?" Rarity asked.

"I think so," she nodded. "I'm still a little shaky but I should be able to make it the rest of the way. Thanks for carrying me Applejack."

"Aw shucks, tweren't nothing," the farm pony remarked. "Like Ah said, Ah've lifted apple buckets plenty heavier than you."

"Thanks. I think," Twilight muttered. "So where are we?"

"Right outside Canterlot. Shouldn't take more than a couple minutes to get there."

"Good. I just hope we're not too late," the purple unicorn said.

"Umm...then-then I hate to bring up bad news but...um..." Fluttershy stuttered sheepishly.

"You guys better look at this!" Rainbow Dash called out.

The others turned towards where the blue Pegasus pointed and could make out the top spire of the castle and the Canterlot skyline. More accurately they could see the dark storm cloud slowly starting to spread out over the city and covering it all in darkness.

"No..." Twilight whispered in horror, the feeling of dread from her dream quickly returning.

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Notes: **Hey, who has two thumbs and _finally_ finished his chapter after another six friggin months?! *Points thumbs at himself* This guy! Yes, after another unintentional hiatus cause of work, life and just plan not being able to focus, I finally have this chapter out. Seems like I end up taking a break along the same time the show does. And I know I've said it before but I really _don't_ mean to keep leaving you guys hanging for so long, it just seems like life gets in the way a lot. But at least I got this chapter out before the show premiered this time so that's something.

Speaking of this chapter, you'll notice that yes I _have_ filled it with references again. I first I was beginning to think I _was_ over doing it a bit...until I started reading the MLP comic and on my God, the amount of references they throw in there! It's like it was done especially for me. Just so many things to find and figure who they've turned into a pony this time! So yeah I'm not overdoing it, I'm just honoring the comic! Yep! That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

So now that Nightmare Moon and the Elements of Discord have taken over the castle, what's going to happen next? Well the moment everyone's been waiting for of course! It's the Elements of Harmony vs the Elements of Discord! Will our heroines be able to defeat their evil counterparts or is Equestria truly in for a 1,000 years of darkness! You'll just have to wait for the next update to find out! Hopefully it won't be too long but let's not remember those immortal words from the great Willy Wonka:

"The suspense is terrible, I hope it'll last."


	14. Harmony vs Discord Round One-Fight!

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

**The Elements of Discord**

**Chapter 14: Harmony vs Discord Round 1-Fight**!

Just outside of Canterlot, on a path leading into the mountains, a small group of ponies watched with horror and dread as a black cloud grew out over the city and started to blot out the sun.

"I should be there," Princess Cadance said, mostly to herself, as she watched the ever expanding cloud.

"But Princess Celestia ordered-" Shining Armor started.

"And so can _I_!" she snapped, whipping her head towards him. "_I'm_ a princess too remember? I could order you," she paused to look back at the multicolored armored guards behind her, "_all_ of you to follow me back in there so we can fight!"

"Cadance, listen," Shining Armor said in a determined, yet cautious, voice. "No one's doubting your authority _or_ your willingness to fight. In fact it's _because _of those things that Celestia sent you away. If something goes...wrong. If neither she nor Luna make it through this, then Equestria is going to _need_ somepony to lead them. As the next princess in line that responsibility would fall to you. So you see Celestia _needs_ you to survive this. _Equestria _needs you to survive this. But...most of all, _I_ need you to survive it."

Her defiant expression started to fade in the face of her fiancé's loving look. But more importantly she knew he was right and the needs of Equestria's ponies outweighed her need to get involved right now.

"Fine," she sighed then offered him a loving smile in return. "You know sometimes I hate it when you're right."

"Hey I get so few chances to _be_ right I gotta take 'em where I can get 'em," he joked.

"But you're so cute when you pout," she retorted before she gave him a quick kiss on the muzzle.

"Look I hate to break up such a touching moment, but we _really_ need to get going," the female guard clad in black armor informed them.

Cadance nodded. "Right. Well then captain of the guard, why don't you show your princess the way," she instructed to her future husband in an overly proper way.

"With pleasure milady," Shining Armor replied with an exaggerated bow.

Some of the guards groaned at the cheesy display but still complied with their leaders' orders and circled the pair as they started to move towards the mountains again.

"You know, you don't really need to worry," Shining Armor said to Cadance. "Not only is Celestia one of the most powerful ponies in Equestria but Twilight and her friends should be there as well. And we _both_ know how she can get when she really wants something."

Cadance chuckled a bit. "Well _now_ I feel sorry for whoever they're going up against."

They both shared a good-hearted laugh that helped take their mind off the dreadful situation they currently found themselves in. At least for a little while.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Down in Ponyville, several of the citizens gathered in the center of town to stare up in wonder at the black cloud that was hanging over Canterlot and seemed to quickly be spreading out towards them.

"It's heading right for us! Everypony panic!" Daisy screamed in her characteristically manic voice.

"Um...why?" Lyra asked, giving the crazy Earth pony a strange look. "It's just a cloud."

"Yeah the Pegasi are probably just setting up some storm over Canterlot or something," Bon Bon added, hoping to calm the usually frantic pony.

"Actually one of my friends that works in the Cloud Factory says they don't know what's going on with that thing," Ditzy remarked as she landed next to the group.

"And there _has_ been those weird black clouds floating over Ponyville earlier today," Rosebud mumbled as she rubbed her chin with a forehoof.

"See?! I told you! It's something evil! EVIL!" Daisy screamed again.

"Ladies, ladies, ladies," Spike said calmly as he walked up to them. "This ominous, black cloud is _nothing_ to worry about. I mean sure it probably means Nightmare Moon has returned, _again_, but we're gonna be just fine."

That did little to assure the small group of mares. In fact it seemed to set them a little more on edge than anything else.

"What makes you say that?" Lyra asked unsurely.

"Because Twilight and her friends took the Elements of Harmony to go beat her back down!" Spike exclaimed happily, punching a fist into his open claw for emphasis.

_This_ actually did seem to calm them down a bit.

"Of course they _were_ acting a bit weird about it," he continued, tapping a clawtip against his chin. "Like they weren't sure if they were going to come back or not. It was weird. And...really sad." His looked sullen for a second but he quickly shook his head to snap himself out of it. "But I'm sure it'll be okay!"

"See Daisy, Twilight and her friends will make everything turn out all right like they always do," Bon Bon told her.

"Maybe you're right," Daisy conceeded. "So until then...PANIC!"

She then let out a horrified shriek and began to run around like a madpony, causing everypony who saw her to do the same. Soon enough the entire town descended into a screaming, panicking mess as it usually did when something went wrong.

"Hooray! The prophecy has come true!" a light blue unicorn shouted excitedly as he ran through the street.

"A thousand years of darkness will reign!" his pink colored colleague agreed as he ran next to him.

"Ooooh darkness!" they said in unison.

"What is wrong with you two?!" Ditzy admonished them as she flew by.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

While the rest of the town descended into chaos, one brown earth pony stood stoic among the scrambling masses. He stared up at the growing black cloud with a look of grim determination on his face. He glanced back at his home or more accurately at the blinded attic window where he kept an object he thought he was long past needing. But maybe...just one more time...

He looked back at the cloud for a second before he made his decision. When he turned back around, however, he found his way suddenly blocked by a charcoal black earth pony.

"This isn't your place to interfere," Star Gazer said in his usually cryptic tone. "For once you need to let events play out as they should."

The spikey maned stallion looked at him for a moment.

"I was just going to find a safe place to hide in all this madness," he explained.

"Of course you were," the other pony replied with a slight smirk.

There was a tense moment where the two simply stood and stared at each other. The brown pony seemed a bit annoyed as it appeared his blonde maned companion knew more than he was letting on. A feeling he wasn't used to be on the other side of.

"Who are you?" he finally asked.

"I could ask you the same question," Star Gazer returned. "_Who_ are _you_?"

Again there was a slight pause before the other stallion grinned wildly.

"Me? Oh I'm just an earth pony. No one special," he explained, though his brown eyes held a mischievous glint as he said it.

"Really? Because I could have sworn you were a doctor."

The stallion's eyes widened a bit but he quickly recovered. "Yes. A doctor. Dr. Hooves."

"Well then _doctor_," Star Gazer smirked again, "I suggest you find Nurse Redheart and get the hospital ready. I'm sure somepony's bound to hurt themselves in all this madness."

"Right. Yes. Good idea," Dr. Hooves nodded then turned and started to run off but then stopped and looked back at him. "But after all this we need to have a long talk!"

He then trotted off to find Nurse Redheart and help as many ponies as he could along the way. Star Gazer watched him go with a hint of nostalgia going through him before he turned his attention back to the looming cloud.

"Now then, let's see how this goes..." he muttered to himself.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The panic even spread to town hall where representatives from various offices tried their best to calm the manic ponies. The ruckus was so bad that it even reached the Mayor's office on the top floor. She had _tried_ to ignore it at first and concentrate on her paperwork but it quickly became too much for her to tune out.

"What is going on out there?!" she bellowed as she stepped into the waiting room just outside her office.

"Sorry Miss Mayor but the populace is in a panic!" her secretary informed her.

"Oh again?' the Mayor asked with a roll of her eyes. "I swear somepony starts a panic almost every week!"

"But what if it _is_ something serious?" the secretary asked.

"If it was I'm sure I would have heard from either Princess Celestia or Twilight Sparkle by now. Since I haven't I'm assuming it's just somepony overacting and inciting the rest of the citizens. _Again._" She sighed and shook her head. "I swear sometimes I wonder why I even _bother_ running for reelection."

"Miss Mayor! Miss Mayor!" another member of her staff called from one of the windows.

"What is it now?" she asked a bit wearily.

"I think I know why they're panicking! You better see this!" he called out.

Quirking an eyebrow at his urgency, she joined him by the window then looked up to the sky where his hoof was pointing. What she saw as a deep black cloud quickly forming over the view of Canterlot they had from that window. And it looked like it would be upon them soon enough. A prospect that for some reason filled her with dread.

"Somepony get me Twilight Sparkle," she ordered in a quiet, yet immediate tone.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Like almost everypony in the nearby areas, the six bearers to the Elements of Harmony stood still as they stared up at the cloud that was quickly blotting out the sun and covering everything in blackness.

"What is that thing? It looks...frightening," Fluttershy squeaked, hiding behind Rainbow Dash for protection.

"Oh come on Fluttershy, I thought you were over that!" the blue Pegasus snapped. It's just a cloud!"

"No," Twilight spoke up, drawing the others' attention. "It's not _just_ a cloud. It has to do with Nightmare Moon. I just _know_ it!"

"Hold up. Didn't you say that Dark Sky gal had a cloud around her too?" Applejack asked.

"That's what Princess Celestia and Luna told me, yes," she nodded in confirmation.

"Then maybe that's what _that_ is just, y'know, gettin' bigger," the Earth Pony guessed.

"It could be," Twilight mused, tapping a hoof on her chin. "But whatever it is we _have_ to go stop it and save not only Princess Celestia but also Princess Luna and now _all_ of Equestria!"

"Soooo...basically a normal Saturday for us?" Rainbow Dash grinned.

"This is serious Rainbow!" Applejack scolded. "Remember...remember what _else_ is at stake here."

The statement sent a somber feeling throughout the group and sent them all into a heavy silence.

"Girls, again if you want to-" Twilight started but was stopped by Rarity placing a hoof on her shoulder.

"Don't you even _dare_," she chided. "We've gone this far with you darling and we're determined to see it through to the end. Right girls?"

"Right!" the others cheered in unison.

Twilight smiled and quickly wiped away a joyful tear.

"Thank you all. Again. I'm truly the luckiest pony in Equestria to have friends like you," she confessed.

"Awww! Pre-fight, heartfelt group hug!" Pinkie declared, somehow pulling them _all_ into said hug.

Despite their initial shock and confusion, the other five quickly recovered and joined in the massive group hug to show their solidarity and friendship. And to feel cheerful just a bit longer before the long road they no doubt had ahead of them.

"Alright," Twilight said once the hug was broken. "Let's do this."

"Right!" the others again called out in unison.

With renewed determination they were quick to make their way into Canterlot where they found the street lights had already been lit so they that citizens could see through the unnatural darkness. Adding to the surreal and creepy feel of the situation was that the usually crowded streets were completely empty and still. The only movement they could see were shadowed figures cowering behind drawn shades in the homes surrounding them. While it wasn't surprising that the usually timid Fluttershy was shaking, the feeling of isolation was starting to wear on the others as well. They glanced side-to-side, tentatively on the lookout for traps orsome kind of ambush but it quickly turned into trying to find _some_ sign of life in the city.

Thankfully once they reached the castle they finally _did_ find some other ponies in the form of a pink Earth pony guard and a deep purple unicorn guard looking at the closed wooden doors. They looked confused and seemed to be discussing something amongst themselves.

"It's about time we saw somepony else!" Pinkie declared. "This was gettin boooo-riiiing! Come on let's go throw a 'We're Happy We're Not The Only Ponies Around' party with them!"

"Hold on Pinkie," Twilight spoke up, holding the hyperactive pony back. "Maybe now's not the best time to go around surprising ponies."

Pinkie seemed to consider this for a moment.

"Hmmm...yeah I guess you're right Twilight. We can wait 'til _after_ we save everypony to throw a huge 'We Saved Everypony' party!"

Twilight just stared at her for a second.

"Right. For the moment, I'll go talk to those guards to see what's going on you. You girls stay back here and keep an eye open for..." she paused to glance around the area, "...anything!"

They nodded then moved into a circle with their flanks to each other so they could keep watch on their surroundings. Twilight took a few cautious looks around herself before she made her way over to the two guards.

"Excuse me ma'am," she said politely as she tapped the pink guard on the shoulder armor.

This was met by a deep, annoyed sigh. "For the last time I'm _not a mare_!" he shouted incredulously as he turned towards her.

Twilight laughed nervously at her mistake.

"Sorry. It's just that...uh...with the coat and all I just...um..." she stammered.

"You know it's very disrespectful to judge somepony by the color of their coat," the purple guard chided her.

"I know! I didn't mean to I just-" she started but then stopped herself with a calming breath. "Look can you just tell me what's going on here? Why are you just standing outside the castle?"

The guards looked at each other.

"We don't know," they answered her together.

"We were told to go outside and secure the grounds but when we came back the doors were shut and locked," the pink one explained.

"Have you tried your key?" she asked, trying not to sound too sarcastic.

"We've tried _everything_," the purple guard exclaimed. "We just can't seem to get back in. Which, quite frankly, is _very_ rude of them."

"I don't think they're to blame," Twilight said as she stepped closer to examine the door. "I think there's some kind of spell keeping it closed."

"Who would use a spell to hold the main doors to the castle closed?" the pink guard wondered allowed.

"Believe me, you _don't_ want to know."

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

In the throne room, Nightmare Moon turned away from her taunting of Celestia to gaze at the doors with a far off look in her eyes.

"They're here," she said cryptically with a demented smirk.

"Who is?" Dark Sky asked.

"Why Twilight Sparkle and her friends of course," the Mare of the Moon replied as she turned towards her group. "The Elements of Harmony. Come to vanquish me once again. Isn't that _right_ sister?!" she snarled, as she spun back towards Celestia.

"I certainly wouldn't bet against them," she replied with a small smirk.

"Then that's a bet you would _lose_!" Nightmare Moon snapped. "For this time I'm ready for them. What's the saying that's popped up since I've been gone anyway?" she asked, tapping her muzzle with an armored hoof. "Oh yes, 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me'. Well I _won't_ be fooled this time! This time I have the perfect way to combat your little Elements of Harmony."

"What's that? Is it valuable?" Treasure Hunt asked with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

"It's _you_!" the dark mare hissed at her but then quickly calmed herself. "All of you my loyal followers. You shall be the keys to our victory."

"Does this mean we finally get to hit somepony?" Stampede eagerly asked.

"Oh yes. As much as you'd like."

"_Finally!_"

"But subdue them and nothing more! I want them brought to me. I have something special in mind for them," Nightmare Moon teased.

Stampede gave a disappointed scowl. "Fine."

"So how exactly are we supposed to do this anyway?" Crimson Streak asked.

"Separate them of course," the empress replied. "Their strength lies in their unity. Divide them and we shall conquer them."

"And how do we divide them?" the red Pegasus asked again with barely restrained sarcasm.

Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes at her but chose to ignore the remark for now.

"Leave that to me..." she said as her horn started to glow.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Back outside, the previously unmovable palace doors slowly opened with a loud, ominous creak.

"Huh. Well look at that, the doors finally opened," the pink guard remarked. "I wonder what that means?"

"I don't think it's anything good," Twilight warned him. "Maybe it's best if you two stay here while my friends and I go inside to investigate."

"Wait, why should _we_ wait out here? _We're_ the guard ponies here!" he protested.

"And _I'm_ Princess Celestia's star pupil! Not to mention one of the Elements of Harmony!" Twilight told him, pointing to her tiara for emphasis. "And my friends are the rest of the Elements!" She gestured towards the other five which of course sent Pinkie Pie into a waving fit towards them. "_And_ we've beaten Nightmare Moon before!"

"She makes a lot of good points," the purple guard admitted. "Plus I've never been one for a fight anyway. I'm a pacifist."

"Oh right. But we should do _something_ though!" the other guard remarked.

"You can! You can keep...um...guarding the doors here incase anypony else tries to come in or more importantly out," Twilight suggested.

"Sooo...basically stand here like we've been doing?"

"Um...yes?"

"I like it!" the unicorn guard said.

"Well I guess we could do that," the pink one resigned.

"Then it's agreed!" Twilight said quickly then turned to the others. "Come on girls we got a Princess and a kingdom to save!"

They let out a victorious cheer before rushing towards the doorway. Rarity straggled behind for just a second, however, to look at the pink Earth pony guard.

"By the way I _love_ your coat color darling and have some ideas on how you can help bring it out more if you're interested," she offered.

"Oh that'd be lovely!" he replied. "We'll have to get together after all this."

"Indeed," Rarity nodded before she followed the rest of her friends.

As soon as they were all inside, the doors suddenly slammed behind them with a loud "bang". They all jumped in shock, but no more than Fluttershy who practically jumped up to the high ceiling above them. When they all calmed down, or rather fell down in Fluttershy's case, Applejack and Rainbow Dash pushed on the door with all their might.

"It won't budge!" Rainbow grunted as she pushed her shoulder into the wooden door.

"It's locked down tighter than a barn in a hurricane!" Applejack groaned as she shoved her hooves into it.

After a few more seconds of trying they finally gave up with an exhausted sigh. Never one to give up that easily, Applejack narrowed her eyes and pulled the brim of her hat down a bit.

"One more shot," she muttered to herself.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked in confusion.

Her answer came in the form of the orange Earth pony slamming her forehooves onto the floor and pushing the rest of her body up in her famous apple bucking action. Her hindhooves smashed into the doors with the same force that nearly fell a few of the older apple trees on the farm. Unfortunately, the magically enhanced doors weren't nearly as forgiving as the old trees and they stood defiantly firm against her hooves. To make matters worse it seemed all the energy reverberated back through Applejack's body so hard it caused her to shake violently and flip her hat off her head and right onto Rarity. The tremor also caused her to lose her balance and fall flat on her face to the tile floor below. Rainbow Dash snickered a bit at her which caused Applejack to glare daggers at her.

"Sorry AJ. You okay?" she asked as she extended a hoof to help her up.

"Yeah I'm fine," the earth pony muttered as she took the offered hoof and pulled herself up. "Hurt mah pride more than anything."

"Well at least you're alright besides that," Rarity said as she walked up to Applejack then pulled her hat from her head. "And here's your hat back darling."

"Thanks Rarity," Applejack replied as she put her trademark headpiece back on.

"So...we're trapped here?!" Fluttershy shrieked in the beginning stages of a panic attack.

"Calm down Fluttershy," Twilight advised her. "Getting scared is _just_ what Nightmare Moon wants us to do."

"Well she's doing a good job of it!" the yellow Pegasus whimpered.

"Calm down Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash sneered. "It's not like we haven't beaten her before."

"Rainbow's right. Well we have to do is stick together and we'll be okay," Twilight reassured her and the others.

"Uh Twilight, that seems like it's gonna be easier said than done," Applejack quickly spoke up as she pointed to something on the floor.

The other five looked to where her hoof was pointed and saw a star filled mist seeping up between the tiles. Before any of them knew it the mist was swallowing them up, cutting off Fluttershy's terrified screech and yanking Rainbow Dash right out of the air as she tried to fly away. The mist then slithered back under the floor, leaving only an uneasy stillness in the spacious room.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"And just like that, they are separated," Nightmare Moon said, chuckling to herself.

"So _now_ we get to fight them?" Stampede asked impatiently.

"Yes you can fight them now. But remember what I said," the dark mare warned the scarred pony.

"Yeah, yeah I got it," she grumbled.

"And what about those of us who _aren_'t raving psychotics?" Crimson Streak asked.

"You mean those who are two cowardly to fight directly themselves?" Nightmare Moon asked her with a sly smirk.

The red Pegasus looked around nervously. "No! I...just...mean that...um..."

"Don't worry. Those of you who _need_ help will get it. Not that I think _many_ of you will," she informed them, giving pointed stares to Crimson Streak.

"What about me?! What do _I_ get?!" Treasure Hunt asked eagerly. "After all I s_hould_ get something for putting _my_ life on the line!"

"_You_ get to keep your life. How does _that_ sound?"

The earth pony cringed a bit but still managed to pout some. "That sounds good but maybe..."

Nightmare Moon sighed and rolled her eyes. "You get the treasury."

"Yay!" Treasure Hunt cheered as she jumped into the air and clapped her hooves excitedly.

"Now if there are no _other_ objections..." the dark empress paused for a reaction but thankfully received none. "Good. Now go make your mistress proud."

With that she spread her mist around them as well and just as before with the Elements of Harmony the six discordant ponies vanished to other parts of the castle. Once they were done Nightmare Moon turned back to the still bound Celestia with a sadistic smile on her muzzle.

"Now then where were we?" she taunted with a gloating smile. "Oh yes, I believe I was about to enjoy more of this delicious chocolate cake."

She brought a fork full of the almost forgotten cake up to her lips with her magic and stared intently into Celestia's surprisingly calm face.

"You _do_ know how childish this is, right?" she asked in a near deadpan tone.

"Oh I'm just having a bit of fun," Nightmare Moon assured her before her expression grew much more grim. "Your _real_ suffering will come much, much later..."

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

When the mist cleared from her vision, Applejack closed her eyes instinctually from the sudden influx of light. She took a few careful blinks before finally opening them fully so she could look at her new surroundings. It was a medium sized theater with enough fancy accents to let her know that she was still in the castle. She was just about to look for the exit when she heard a pair of muffled cries. She turned to her left to find a pair of guards bound in one of the chandeliers and carpets with the tassels acting as gags.

"Hang on ya'll! Ah'll get ya out!" she said as she ran over to them.

"Not so fast!" Trixie's voice called out from behind the curtain.

Despite herself, Applejack stopped and glared up at the stage as the curtains rose to reveal the smug looking unicorn.

"Ah should have known it was gonna be you!" Applejack groaned.

"Yes the Great and Powerful Trixie has always had a flair of the dramatic," she exclaimed with her usual bombast. "Though in truth, Trixie was hoping she'd get to face Twilight Sparkle and pay her back for humiliating her and ruining Trixie's life!" She gave a quick snort before she calmed down a bit. "But she supposes she can make do with one of her friends."

"Wait. Onna Twilight's friends or onna your friends?" the earth pony asked in confusion.

"I mean _you_!" Trixie hissed. "Twilight's friend! I will humiliate you!"

"Fine, whatever! Just stop talkin' in third pony so Ah can understand you!"

"Oh like _you're_ one to talk with your thick country accent!" Trixie shot back.

Applejack was about to say something else but then stopped herself with a sigh.

"Look Ah ain't gettin into this," she said. "Ah gotta go help mah friends and if that means Ah gotta go through you then Ah will!"

"Ha!" the blue pony scoffed as she assumed a fighting stance, her cape bellowing behind her. "You can't hope to beat Trixie in a fight!"

"Oh I definitely could in a fair fight. But somethin' tells me you don't exactly plan on fightin' fair now do ya?"

Trixie gasped then turned her head up in disgust.

"Trixie won't even validate that question with a response," she remarked.

"Just what Ah thought," Applejack smirked as she walked up onto the stage. "So then let me ask ya _this_, what exactly are ya doing here with these varmints?"

"Wha?!" Trixie blurted out in legitimate confusion.

"Look Ah know you're a braggin', stuck up, full of herself show pony, but that doesn't make you a _bad_ pony," she explained. "Ah saw you tryin' to save Ponyville when that Ursa Minor came though. Ah mean, ya didn't do a good job but at least ya _tried_! That proves ya got _some_ good in ya. Definitely not the kinda pony Ah see hooking up with some wackos tryin' ta take over the world."

Trixie stared dumbfounded for a moment before her jaw finally clenched and her eyes narrowed to glare daggers at Applejack.

"You...DARE ask me WHY I'm doing this?!" she screamed in incredulous frustration. "You have NO idea what I had to go through after that incident! That cart wasn't just my stage, it was my _home_! Everything I had was in there! Including all my savings! So I had to wonder from town to town bitless, taking up humiliating jobs just to survive! And when I _did_ finally start performing again the stigma of that defeat followed me! Everywhere I went ponies would know me as "The Failed Magician From Ponyville". _How_ did they even know about that?! How did word travel _that_ fast from one small, stinking, stupid, little town?!"

"Whoa now! That town is mah home!" Applejack shot back, narrowing her own eyes at her.

"I don't care! That town _ruined_ my life and to have that little upstart Twilight Sparkle make it look _soooo_ easy to defeat an Ursa was just rubbing salt into my wounds! I _can't_ stand for it! I _won't_ stand for it! And that, _that_ is why I'm with them! I'm going to make. Her. PAY!"

"Well first you gonna go through me!" the earth pony declared, stamping her hooves down in a defensive stance.

"With pleasure!" Trixie called back, her anger fully overcoming her.

With that, Trixie threw off her hat to reveal her horn was already glowing. She cast a malicious grin Applejack's way before she fired a blast from it at her. Applejack let out a surprised gasp but then deftly dodged the light pink beam and ran towards the unicorn. This time it was Trixie who let out the surprised gasp but she was quick to recover herself and conjured up a mini storm cloud to protect herself. The tiny lighting bolts shot down toward Applejack but again she was agile enough to avoid them. She tried to catch the mad magician with a flying tackle though Trixie just ducked so that Applejack harmlessly passed over her. Thankfully the earth pony was quick to recover and landed harmlessly on all four hooves. Unfortunately, just when she turned around she was greeted with a pair of hindhooves to the face. A loud "thud" rang out from the wooden stage as she crashed onto it. Before she could properly recover, one of the ropes holding the curtains back slithered down like a snake towards her and quickly wrapped itself tightly around her. She struggled against her quickly tightening bonds but it seemed to do no good. It especially didn't help when she heard Trixie's annoyingly smug laugh again.

"Did you _really_ think you could stand up to the Great and Powerful Trixie?!" she taunted as she walked up to the bound Applejack. "Don't you remember what last time? In fact, I believe it was this _very_ thing!" She leaned in closer to grin triumphantly at the orange pony. "How's it feel to be hogtied yourself, cowpony?"

The response came in the form of a swift headbutt from Applejack that caused her to reel back a bit. It also broke her concentration enough to cause the rope tying Applejack down to loosen just a bit. Unfortunately, Trixie recovered far too quickly for her to take advantage of it and before she knew it the rope was tied even tighter around her.

"Very cute," Trixie growled. "Well allow me to return the favor!"

Trixie then preformed a headbutt of her own but it seemed to hurt her head more than it did Applejack's.

"OOOOOWWW!" she cried out as she rubbed her now doubly sore head.

Applejack chuckled in amusement though she had to admit her head was hurting more than she expected it too.

"Oh shut up!" the unicorn snapped.

She then spun around and delivered a powerful kick with her hindhooves that'd be worthy of any apple bucking session right to the captive pony's head. Applejack flew back from the blow and tumbled down helplessly as the world around her quickly grew black. By the time she hit the stage again she was out cold and truly a captive of the Great and Powerful Trixie.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Ah-ah-AHCOOO!"

Rarity's sneeze blew away the rest of the mist surrounding her and she sniffled a few times as she rubbed her nose with her right hoof.

"Oh this day has been just simply _dreadful_!" she exclaimed. "First that incident behind the bushes and now _this_. Just _how_ am I supposed to remain ladylike when all these horrible things keep happening?"

Of course her question went unanswered as she appeared to be alone in the large room. As she took in her surroundings more closely she realized she was in the grand ballroom where they held the Grand Galloping Gala. For a moment she felt a bit of joy as she remembered the anticipation she had leading up to the Gala and then seeing all the wonderful fashions on the upper class ponies in attendance. That moment passed quickly, however, when she immediately remembered how her "best night ever" was ruined by that uncouth lout "Prince" Blueblood. And given the way he acted she seriously doubted the veracity of _that_ title.

"Of course. Why _not_ add to my Canterlot humilations today by sending me back to the place where first, and _worst_, one happened!" she muttered. "What else could _possibly _happen today?!"

"Oooh don't you know you're _never_ supposed to say that?!" a voice warned her.

"Who's there?!" Rarity asked with a start.

She turned to where she thought the voice had come from and saw an dark orange earth pony wearing saddle bags stepping out from behind one of the pillars.

"Oh it's just me," the mare replied.

"And who are you?"

"I _did_ forget to say my name, didn't I?" she wondered as she patted her muzzle with a hoof. "Sorry I'm kinda bad at that. I'm Treasure Hunt!"

"Hello Treasure Hunt, I'm Rarity," the unicorn greeted politely. "How long have you been back there."

"Awhile."

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

"Because I didn't want you to hurt me," Treasure Hunt explained.

"Why would I want to hurt you?" Rarity asked in confusion but gasped when she thought of a possible answer. "Unless you're one of those _dastardly_ Elements of Discord I've been hearing about!"

"Yeah I guess I am since I'm with them and all," the earth pony remarked. "But I don't really care about that stuff. I just care about _getting_ stuff!"

Rarity felt her confusion sink back in.

"So you _don't_ care about taking over Equestria?" she questioned.

Treasure Hunt seemed to ponder this question as rubbed her muzzle once again.

"Hmmmm...well...I mean it _is_ a lot of hard work and I don't like doing _that_, buuuut it _would_ be nice to have everypony worshiping me and bringing me all their stuff. Or any stuff. ALL the stuff! All of it!"

Rarity's face scrunched up in disgust.

"Well aren't you simply...terrible," she muttered half-heartedly.

"Oh what, like _you've_ never been selfish just once in your life?" the earth pony pressed.

The white unicorn was to say something in protest but then stopped herself when though back over some of the...less than flattering decisions she had made in the past.

"Well I wouldn't say _selfish_ exactly but...perhaps..._maybe_ there were times when I was just a _teensy_ bit...self...centered," she stammered.

"Ha! I knew it!" Treasure Hunt practically cheer. "See?! _Everypony_ can be selfish at times! I'm just the only one that admits to it!"

"But that won't get you many friends," Rarity countered.

"Pffffft! Who needs friends?" she waved off. "Things are _much_ better than friends! They won't hurt you! They won't betray you! They don't judge you! They won't try to _take_ your things from you! They just sit there and be pretty. Besides, there's only _one_ friend I need!"

She then craned her neck backwards to root around in her right saddlebag. A second later she pulled out an old, orange colored lantern with her teeth and beamed proudly as she presented it to Rarity.

"Him! He's my only friend! The only one I'll _ever_ need!" she said surprisingly well around the mouthful of handle. Even so she set it down so she could speak without dropping it but held her front to hooves over it possessively.

"_That's_ your friend?" Rarity asked, feeling a bit disturbed now.

"Oh yes. He whispers to me. Tells me which things are the _best_ to get," Treasure Hunt explained as she lovingly caressed the lantern. She then narrowed her eyes at the Element of Generosity jewel hanging around Rarity's neck. "In fact, he's telling me I should take that pretty necklace of yours right now."

The unicorn blinked then took a few cautious steps backward.

"Now-now let's just take it easy there deary. You wouldn't want to do something either of us would regret," she tried to reason with her.

"Oh _I_ wouldn't regret it at all," Treasure Hunt said before she quickly packed the lantern away again and started to walk threateningly towards Rarity.

"I'm warning you! Just because I don't _like_ to fight doesn't mean I _can't_!"

"Gimme that necklace!" the orange pony screeched as she leapt at the unicorn.

Rarity let out a quick screech but quickly recovered and used her magic to throw one of the round wooden tables near her right at the flying Treasure Hunt. In a surprising show of agility, Treasure Hunt was able to flip herself midair and extend her left hind leg so that her hoof smashed through the table. Rarity watched in awe as the table split in half and the otherwise unassuming pony came flying through the middle. Course she quickly realized that that pony was flying down towards _her_ and leapt out of the way. Treasure Hunt bounded just a little bit as she landed but otherwise seemed fine. A little _too_ fine as she made another frantic run towards Rarity faster than then fabulous unicorn was expecting and she soon found herself pinned under the greedy mare. Thankfully there was still enough room between their bodies that Rarity was able to bring her hind legs up and kick Treasure Hunt off her. While the earth pony landed on her back, she was able to make another quick recovery and jump up to all four legs. She snorted a few times as she expression became more and more deranged and angry.

"Give. Me. That. _Necklace!_" she shrieked.

"You'll have to pry it from my cold, lifeless neck," Rarity shot back, her own eyes narrowing dangerously.

"_Don't_ tempt me!" Treasure Hunt growled.

They began to circle the room, eyeing the other one carefully for any sign of movement they might make. At about the third rotation of the area, Treasure Hunt noticed an over turned chair that Rarity must have knocked over when she threw that table at her. She carefully slipped a hoof under the chair's backboard then in once swift move tossed it into the air then spun around and kicked it with her hind legs to launch it towards Rarity. The unicorn flinched just a bit but was still able to stop the chair just in front of her with her magic. Unfortunately, this turned out to be just the perfect distraction Treasure Hunt needed and as Rarity kept her focus on the chair, the earth pony slid underneath her and delivered a two hoof kick right to the other mare's chin. The blow was sent Rarity flying upwards just a bit before she slammed back down onto the decorative tile floor. This attack also caused her to loose her concentration on the chair which Treasure Hunt quickly picked up with her front hooves and smashed over the prone Rarity's skull which finally knocked her out. Treasure Hunt tossed the remaining bits of the chair away then moved her head toward Rarity's neck and grasped the loose chain of her necklace with her teeth. In one hard yank she managed to break the clasp holding it together and victoriously waved her new prize about.

"Mine!" she snarled triumphantly.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Rainbow Dash looked around the area she had been transported to in annoyance. It wasn't_ just_ that she had been zapped away from her friends against her will but also where she was zapped _to_! A boring old hallway! With all the _exciting_ things a hallway had, like a long carpet! Or some old paintings! Or lots of lights on the wall! Or her favorite, dozens of similar looking doors! It was all just so _boring_! There wasn't even much room for her to fly around in there. She let out a frustrated sigh as she shook her head.

"Guess I better start walking down the hallway then!" she grumbled to herself.

Before she could get two steps forward though she suddenly found herself tackled by somepony coming out one of the doors behind her. They rolled around on the floor for a bit before Rainbow Dash was able to pin the attacker to the wall. It turned out that attacker was a red colored Pegasus that looked completely terrified of her.

"Don't hurt me!" she pleaded, hiding her face behind her forelegs.

"Why did you attack me?!" Rainbow Dash pressed.

"I wasn't attacking you I was _hugging_ you!" the newcomer replied. "I was just so happy to see somepony else!"

"Who are you?" Rainbow asked again, letting up just a little bit.

"My name's Crimson Streak," the other Pegasus finally introduced herself.

"And what exactly are you doing here?"

"Nothing!" Crimson Streak squeaked. "I was here with a tour group when all these crazy ponies started attacking and everything went black! I ducked into one of these rooms and waited until it was safe to come out."

Rainbow arched an eyebrow suspiciously at her.

"And how did you know it was safe to come out when _I_ was around?" she asked.

"Well..." Crimson Streak paused a bit. "You're that Rainbow Dash from Ponyville, right? The one who did the Sonic Rainboom at the Young Flyers Competition?"

"You heard about that?" Rainbow remarked, going from suspicious to prideful.

"Of course! It was the talk of the town! I even head you saved the Wonderbolts!"

"Well yeah I _kinda_ did," the blue Pegasus said smugly as she stepped back from the red one. "And it _was_ pretty awesome."

"I'm sure it was," Crimson Streak agreed as she stood up. "So that's how I knew when I saw you that I was safe."

"Okay so you're not wrong on _that_ part," Rainbow Dash assured her. "But I'm not sure how I can get you out of here. To be honest I don't really know much about the castle myself. Plus I gotta find my friends so we can all put an end to this whole mess."

"Oh? How are you going to do that?"

"Well if it was _me_ I'd just give Nightmare Moon and her followers a quick hoof to the face but we're following Twilight's plan to use the Elements of Harmony here to stop them," she explained, tapping her necklace with a hoof for emphasis. "Which I suppose _would_ work better but boy it'd be _really_ satisfying to just knock 'em out, you know?"

"I'm not really much of a fighter so I guess I wouldn't," Crimson Streak replied.

Rainbow laughed a bit. "Yeah I suppose not everypony can be the flank kickers we are." She then cast a reassuring look towards the still shaken Crimson Streak. "So don't worry you'll be safe with me until we find the others."

"Thank you. Thank you so much!" the other Pegasus said happily as she moved next to Rainbow.

"So just stick close and hopefully this'll all be over soon," she explained but then quickly frowned. "Just as soon as I figure out which we we're supposed to go."

"Maybe one of these doors will lead to a shortcut or something," Crimson Streak suggested.

"Yeah maybe," Rainbow agreed as she mused over the various doors in front of them. "But which one?"

The red Pegasus walked ahead of her to one of the doors a bit further down the hallway.

"Maybe this one?" she asked.

Rainbow started to walk over towards her but then stopped and narrowed her eyes at her and the door.

"Wait...why _that_ one?" she asked cautiously.

Crimson Streak sighed and lowered her head again. "_Still_ suspicious of me?"

"I just think it's a bit weird that you seem to know where to go if you were supposed to be hiding all this time."

"I _don't_ know where to go!" the other mare snapped in frustration. "I'm just taking a wild guess! But fine! If you don't trust me I guess _I'll_ just do it myself!"

She then flung open the door and darted inside the room.

"Hey wait!" Rainbow called out then quickly ran after her.

When she entered the room all she found was a small room with a few pieces of furniture placed about and Crimson Streak standing right in the middle of it. Apparently she had just enough time to turn around so she faced Rainbow but instead of the slightly cowering mare she had just met, she a smug smile on her face that let the blue Pegasus know something wasn't right. Before she could react, however, Rainbow suddenly found herself overcome by three figures descending upon her from the ceiling. During the ensuing scuffle she recognized the black and purple outfits of the Shadowbolts. She tried to fight them off but their numbers were just too much and they quickly overpowered her. She felt a hoof slam her face to the floor and could only watch helplessly as a pompous looking Crimson Streak sauntered over to her.

"And _there's_ your problem Rainbow, just too trusting," she gloated before she drew a hoof back and kicked the prone Pegasus in the temple to knock her out.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Back in the throne room, Nightmare Moon slowly opened her eyes and chuckled as looked towards Celestia.

"Three down. Three to go," she remarked before launching into another round of vicious laughter that cut right through the captured Sun Princess.

Celestia closed her eyes and lowered her head somberly.

_Everything will be alright. It _has_ to be,_ she tried to reassure herself.

Unfortunately she wasn't doing a very good job.

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Notes: **Well once again this chapter turned out a bit differently than I had planned. Originally I was going to have all six fights take place in this chapter but once I realized it was running a bit long I figured it'd work out more dramatically to cut it off after the third one. Keeps the chapters relatively short and readable and is a great way to build up suspense! Especially since so far the scoreboard reads Discord Six-3 and Harmony Six-0. Will Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy be able to even up the score _and_ save their friends or will this truly turn into the last day for all of Equestria? Find out next time! Shame Pony channel! Same Pony time!

...

Why did I do that?


	15. Harmony vs Discord Round Two: Flawless V

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

**The Elements of Discord**

**Chapter 15: Harmony vs Discord Round 2-Flawless Victory**

"Wheeee!" Pinkie cheered as she bounced out of the star-filled mist and into...

"Wait," she asked, glancing around her new surroundings. "_Where_ am I?"

When she looked a little closer she noticed that she was right in the middle of the castle's kitchen. It's rather _large_ kitchen.

"Oooh! I bet I could make all sorts of sweet things here!" she exclaimed openly. "Like a whole bunch of yummy cakes for a really _awesome_ party!"

"Sorry, kitchen's closed," a voice from behind her practically growled.

Undeterred, Pinkie spun around to greet this newcomer with a big, bright grin on her face.

"Hiya!" she said with a wave of her right front hoof.

Unfortunately, the scarred, black-coated mare didn't share Pinkie's enthusiasm for the meeting.

"Shut up!" Stampede snapped.

"Oooh. _Somepony's _grouchy!" Pinkie remarked with a smirk. "Oh I bet it's because you haven't had any sugar yet today! I can fix that!"

"I don't need any stupid sugar!" the other Earth pony growled again, stamping a hoof on the tiled floor.

"Are you suuuuure? I can make some really good cakes! They'll be very yu-ummy! They'll make you feel bet-ter!" Pinkie still tried to persuade her in a sing-song voice.

Stampede's response was to let out another irritated growl before she leapt at the irritating pink pony. To her surprise, however, Pinkie merely ducked down so that the black mare harmlessly passed over her. Stampede landed deftly on all four of her hooves then spun around to glare at the other mare again.

"Missed me!" Pinkie called out with a fit of giggles.

"I won't miss again!" Stampede snarled as she charged her once again.

This time she stopped just before she tackled her and rose to her hindhooves to strike out with her forehooves. Unfortunately, Pinkie continued to dodge her with a surprising ease. It's almost as if she could predict Stampede's strikes before she even made them. Whatever it was, it was driving the enraged equine crazy. With a scream of pure frustration she reared back again and tried to smash Pinkie's head under her hooves, but the party pony just rolled out of the way.

"You know this kinda fun!" she mused with another giggled.

"Stand still and let me beat you!" Stampede screamed.

"Why would I want to do that? It doesn't sound fun at all!"

"It is for _me!"_ the other Earth pony proclaimed before she spun around and tried to buck Pinkie right in the face.

Of course being used to this kind of action, Pinkie flipped around so that her own hindhooves met Stampedes and instead of knocking her out the kick catapulted her through the air. She cheered as she twirled through the air then landed perfectly on one hindhoof atop one of the steel countertops.

"Ta-daaa!" she exclaimed.

"Argh you are so annoying!" Stampede snapped.

"Why does everypony say that?" Pinkie wondered, playing a hoof under her chin in thought.

She didn't have much time to think it over though as soon enough Stampede was tossing as many of the pots and pans around her as she could get her teeth on at her. Pinkie leapt off the counter and knocked a few of the pans out of the way as she fell then went back into her routine of jumping and bouncing out of the way of the heavy objects. Once the barrage was over she gave the other mare a stern look.

"Hey! That wasn't very nice! Those things could have _really_ hurt me!" she chided.

"That's what I've been _trying_ to do!" Stampede explained with an exacerbated sigh.

"You know if you keep this up I'm not going to let you have any cake."

"I don't want any stupid cake!"

"Well now I _know_ you're evil!" Pinkie said, horrified. "What kind of pony doesn't want _cake_?!"

"The kind that wants to plant her hoof right in your stupid face!" Stampede declared before she charged her again.

This started another round of strikes and dodges that took them all around the spacious kitchen. They bounded off of countertops and sinks, pans and utensils flying about as they did so. For every hit Stampede tried to land, Pinkie would simply bound away from it. In one instance she slid under one of the tables so fast that the enraged Stampede failed to notice steel structure and slammed into it muzzle first. As she shook the pain away she noticed Pinkie slipping into what looked like a pantry closet. She smirked at the idea of finally having this pest cornered and stalked her way over to the door. She placed a hoof on the handle and readied herself to open the door as quickly as she could to avoid any surprises. Sadly she had vastly underestimated her opponent and the second she pulled the door back she found herself face-to-face with a-

"Party Cannon!" Pinkie shouted before pulling the cord on the weapon.

The next thing Stampede knew she was being flung across the room by a face full of confetti and streamers. She lied stunned on the floor for a few seconds, her only moves were to spit out tiny bits of paper that made their way into her mouth. When she finally found the mental strength to move again all she did was glare in angered confusion at Pinkie.

"How?!" she snarled.

"Oh I _always_ have my Party Cannon with me!" the pink pony replied cheerfully.

"No I mean how did you do that?!" Stampede shouted, springing to her hooves. "How do you do _any_ of these things?!"

Pinkie giggled and shook her head.

"I really don't get why it's so hard for everypony to get this," she said, mostly to herself. "It's _real_ simple. You see-"

Her explanation was cut off by a metallic "whack" sound that made her eyes go wide just before they glazed over.

"Down I go..." she mumbled before she fell to the floor.

Her collapsing body revealed Hammer standing behind her with a hoof wrapped around the handle of a large skillet. Stampede blinked at him, unsure which one upset her more: that he took away her eventual victory or that she wouldn't get an explanation now!

"Hey! I told you I didn't need any help!" she growled.

"I know! I was just...I mean...I was trying..." the purple stallion stammered.

The dark-coated mare placed a hoof on her face and shook her head at his idiotic yammering.

"Shut up!" She ordered him. "Just pick her up and follow me!"

As she turned around she saw him pick up Pinkie's unconscious form and flop her down on his back. Stampede then started to lead him out of the kitchen and back towards the throne room. After a bit of walking though she glanced over her shoulder at him.

"And no staring!" she added.

"What?! No! I wasn't!" he said desperately.

She let out a small "tsk" before turning back around and despite herself she found small smile forming on her lips.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

When the world stopped becoming a swirling mass of black clouds and stars, Fluttershy found herself in only a slightly brighter room that didn't look very inviting at all. Especially from the usually brightly lit and comforting castle.

"Oh my. Oh dear. Oh my. Oh dear," she whimpered as she looked around with a trembling head.

Once she calmed down enough to actually take in her surroundings she saw that she was in a fairly decent sized room that was sparsely decorated with a few pieces of furniture, small tables and some vases for decoration. There was a door on either end and a large window to her left that no doubt let the sun illuminate the room when it wasn't pitch black outside like it was currently. Even the fancy chandelier above her wasn't working and so the only light in the room came from the candelabras placed throughout the room. Unfortunately all they really did now was cast flickering shadows across the walls that terrified the yellow Pegasus even more.

She trembled even harder and started to back away to...somewhere. Preferably a place she could hide until this whole thing was over. As she slowly inched backwards she let out a terrified shriek and jumped up a few feet when she heard something else in the room with her. She calmed down when she realized it was a sound she was well familiar with: an animal in trouble. Forgetting her own fear for the moment she focused on finding poor, frightened little critter. After a quick search she found a rabbit curled up into a small trembling ball under one of the large chairs. She flashed a comforting smile as she inched her way over towards it.

"It's okay little one," she said softly and sweetly. "You don't have to be afraid. If you just come to your Auntie Fluttershy we can find a way out of this horrible place together."

The rabbit stopped its trembling and stared at her for a moment, as if it was considering the offer. After a few more tense seconds it started to inch its way out from underneath the chair and walked over to her. Fluttershy's warm smile widened to ease the animal further and she reached out a hoof towards it for encouragement. It reached out a paw towards her to return the gesture and just before they could touch a figure suddenly swooped down and snatched the rabbit away from her, causing them both to scream out in terror once again. It was only Fluttershy's concern for the rabbit that kept her from shrinking into a ball and hiding under a chair herself. Once she calmed down a bit she noticed a steady flapping sound and looked towards the ceiling to see another Pegasus hovering above her and holding the rabbit under on foreleg. The white mare stared at her with pink, blank eyes that seemed to burn a hole straight into her soul. The combination of her cold stare and expressionless face caused Fluttershy's trembling to return a bit but she forced her hooves to stay still by focusing her attention on the rabbit. Which wasn't hard to do as its fearful and pained expression drew her eyesight like a magnet. It let out a few soft whimpers as the Pegasus' hoof petted the top of its head rather roughly. So much so that the skin around its eyes actually stretched a bit and its head snapped back just slightly every time the hoof passed over it. Fluttershy forgot about her own fear as her concern for the rabbit grew stronger.

"Um, ex-excuse me," she spoke up softly. "You're hurting that pretty bunny."

"Yes. I know," the other Pegasus said in a flat down as she continued to stroke the rabbit's head.

"Oh. Well...do you think you could stop? Pretty please?" Fluttershy asked and flashed a friendly smile.

"No."

Her smile quickly fell.

"Why not?" she asked with a little more force in her voice.

"Because I like to cause it pain," the white Pegasus explained in the same flat tone even as her petting motions grew harder and cause the rabbit to cry out more and flail it's hind legs in a futile attempt to escape.

Fluttershy's eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open in complete shock and horror of that statement. The expression didn't last long though as her mouth quickly closed up into a scowl and her eyes narrowed a bit.

"You're...you're _heartless_!" she cried up at the other flying pony.

"Yes. Yes I am," she replied.

Again Fluttershy's expression changed, going from righteous anger to slightly confused.

"Wait. Do you mean that your _name_ is Heartless or that you _are_ heartless?" she asked.

"Both," Heartless clarified.

"Oh," Fluttershy remarked. Her brow then furrowed again. "Well either way you need to stop being such a meanie to that poor, helpless bunny!"

"Why?" Heartless asked, somehow sounding both slightly sarcastic and genuinely confused at the same time.

"Because it's not nice!"

"And why should I try to be nice?"

Fluttershy was completely flabbergasted by now.

"Because...because then other ponies will like you! And you'll have lots of good friends!" she explained as best she could. "And the animals will like you too if you're nice to them."

"I don't care about either of them liking me," Heartless said in her usual flat, emotionless tone.

"Oh," the yellow Pegasus muttered, again at loss for words.

"If you're so concerned for this rabbit, why don't you come up here and take it from me?" the other mare asked in the calmest sounding threat ever.

"Well...I...I don't really like fighting," Fluttershy explained, looking away in embarrassment.

"Then you don't really care for this rabbit," Heartless retorted, emphasizing her point by kneading her hoof into the rabbit's head and making it cry out even more.

"Stop it!" the usually timid pony screamed desperately.

Heartless ignored her plea and continued her torment of the screeching animal. For every prod and poke she would give, Fluttershy's expression grew more desperate and frustrated. She tried to think of _something_ to say to dissuade Heartless from her continuing her torture but her emotions kept her from thinking straight. After all even the Element of Kindness had her limits. And they were reached right when it seemed like Heartless was about to bite off one of the rabbit's ears.

"Leave...that...bunny...ALONE!" Fluttershy screamed then launched herself into the air with a surprisingly amount of force.

Unfortunately her outburst gave Heartless enough of a warning to effortlessly dodge her charge with a simple side hover. Fluttershy flapped her wings as hard as she could and flailed a bit to keep from crashing into the wall she was suddenly heading towards. Thankfully she stopped just in time and let out a small sigh of relief. She then spun back around and narrowed her sight on the rabbit then flew after it again. And once again Heartless proved herself skilled enough to avoid her. In fact she was good enough to _keep_ avoiding Fluttershy's advances until it seemed like they were playing a game of Keep Away. With each near miss Fluttershy found herself getting more and more frustrated if not downright angry. It didn't help that the rabbit seemed to have figured out what she was doing and so tried desperately to reach out to her with its paws with every pass, causing her to become more emboldened to get it and more agitated when she missed. But while she was becoming more and more emotional, Heartless kept the same blank expression throughout the whole ordeal. Not once did she give any sign of concern or even irritation of being chased. In fact it seemed she even lost interest in tormenting the animal that dangled precariously from her foreleg.

"This bores me," she stated as Fluttershy passed by her again. "If you want this rabbit so much then here, you can have it."

With that she pulled her right hoof back and threw the bunny towards the floor. Fluttershy let out a horrified gasp then dove down after it was fast as she could. Thankfully she caught in time but unfortunately she wasn't a skilled enough flyer to pull herself out of the nosedive she now found herself in. Doing the only thing she could think of, she curled herself into a ball around the bunny to keep itself safe just before crashing into one of the ornate couches in the room. She let out a few high pitched shrieks of pain as she bounced off it and continued to tumble throughout the room until she was brought to a stop by the far wall. She slowly uncurled herself and watched happily as the rabbit hopped away, a bit shaken up but otherwise fine.

"Oh...good. You're...safe..." Fluttershy mumbled before the spinning of the room became too much for her and she passed out.

The rabbit hopped back over to her and desperately patted her cheek with its paw to try to wake her up. Unfortunately this act of bravery only succeeded in getting it caught again as Heartless landed on its tail. It let out a painful yelp then stared up helplessly at the deranged mare.

"No, you're not," she said in reply to Fluttershy's statement before looking at the fallen Pegasus herself. "Neither of your are."

The rabbit's ears fell in anticipation of the horror awaiting it and how the brave mare had tried to save it.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

A bright purple flash dispersed the mist around her and once she could see clearly again, Twilight smiled when she found herself in a very familiar and comforting place.

"The Royal Library!" she exclaimed happily then gave a confident smirk. "Well _that_ was a big mistake sending me here. I know this place like the back of my hoof. _And_ its place in the castle. I'll be able to get out of here and find the others with no-"

She stopped when the library suddenly went completely black.

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?!" she asked.

"That would be me," a voice called out from the darkness.

"Who's there?!" Twilight demanded, looking around in vain.

She then powered her horn up to at least give her _some_ light as she tried to find the owner of the voice talking to her.

"Twilight Sparkle," it remarked in a mocking tone. "Oh I've heard _all_ about you. How you purposely chose to ignore anypony who wanted to be your friend in favor of your precious books."

"Yes, I'll admit I _used_ to do that," the purple unicorn admitted. "Back when I was young and stupid and thought I didn't _need_ friends. But I've learned the error of my ways and found some great friends in Ponyville."

"OOOOOH GOOOOD FOR YOOOOOUUUUU!" the voice screamed bitterly. "I'm _so_ glad you got to learn the 'Magic of Friendship'! But did you _really_ do anything to earn it?"

"We defeated Nightmare Moon together!" Twilight shouted back, turning around to where she thought the voice was coming from.

"And _she_ was _my_ friend! My _only _friend!"

There was a burst of energy and Twilight was nearly blinded when all of the lights flashed back on at once. After the spots cleared from her eyes she found herself face-to-face with dark blue unicorn who was practically glaring death at her with her violet colored eyes.

"Dark Sky I presume," Twilight remarked.

"So you've heard of me, huh?" the other unicorn mused with a smirk. "Let me guess, from some obscure book that called me crazy and a madmare, right?"

"No. I heard of you from Princess Luna herself," she corrected.

"What?" Dark Sky gasped, her eyes wide in surprise. "How...?"

"Because she wanted Princess Celestia and I to know the truth. That you're _not_ some monster bent on destroying Equestria. That you were just a scared, lonely mare who just wanted a friend. Much like _she_ was. That's _why_ you two became friends in the first place, wasn't it?"

Dark Sky's expression softened just a bit as she recalled her time with Luna long ago.

"Yes," she whispered, her voice also much softer. "We were...so alone. We just had each other. Nopony else wanted to even talk to us. They called us the Bringers of Darkness because of my cloud and Luna's rule of the night." Her eyes suddenly flashed and her expression hardened again. "_That's_ why they had to pay! If they wanted us to be monsters then we would _give_ them monsters!"

With that she fired a quick beam from her horn that smashed into Twilight and sent her flying across the library. As she slid over the polished wood floor, she heard a slight metal clanking sound that signified her tiara had been knocked off in the blast. Sure enough when she opened her eyes after she stopped sliding, she saw it lying a few feet away from her. She jumped to her hooves and moved over to it but another blast from Dark Sky stopped her short. She narrowed her eyes before she lit up her own horn and returned fire.

"You don't _have_ to be a monster!" she still tried to reason with the deranged pony. "Not then and _especially_ not now! We're more enlightened these days and we know the dark isn't something to be afraid of. In fact we had a whole celebration about the night now!"

"Well whoop-de-doo about that!" Dark Sky snorted as she bounced around Twilight's blasts. "But it's not that simple for me. It's _never_ been that simple! Don't you see that cloud out there?!"

"Oh trust me, I saw it," Twilight retorted, still keeping her at bay. "We had to walk under it just to get here."

"Well _that's _what I've had to deal with ALL MY LIFE!" she screamed, finally firing a beam that stopped Twilight's in midair.

The purple unicorn winced a bit at the ensuing struggle between their two magic streams. She planted her hooves firmly on the floor and concentrated to put more power behind her blast.

"I can't pretend to know what you went through but I _can_ tell you that Princess Luna wouldn't want you to do this!" Twilight still tried to reason with her.

"Yes she would! She helped me! We were in this together! We _still_ are!" Dark Sky countered, sending another pulse through her beam.

One of Twilight's knees buckled slightly under the new strain but she forced herself to stand up straight and added more power on her own end.

"That's _not_ Princess Luna! That's some twisted version of her brought on by a crazy demi-god. She's _not_ your friend! She doesn't care about you or anypony! She just wants to rule in darkness!"

"SHUT! UP!" Dark Sky bellowed, sending an even more powerful surge through her horn.

The added power was too much for Twilight and its force again sent her flying backwards only this time she landed against one of the stacks. It wobbled from the impact then sent a large amount of heavy books crashing down upon her. Twilight struggled to get out of the pile of large tomes but she was too exhausted from the fight and the bruises she received. Her struggles ended up being backfiring though as she bumped the stack again and knocked a copy of "Tales of Nightmare Moon" off the shelf which promptly landed on her head and knocked her out.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

When Twilight reopened her eyes she found that not only was she _not_ still trapped under a pile of books she also wasn't even in the library anymore. She had been moved to the throne room and placed right in front of the throne. Unfortunately instead of seeing Celestia's bright smile beaming down on her she saw Nightmare Moon's dark scowl filling her vision. That was the first thing she noticed. The second was that her legs were all bound by some kind of spell that kept her from moving them. It also seemed to extend to her horn which prevented her from using her magic. The third thing she noticed were the groans of her friends as they started to come to as well around her and were trapped in the same magical bonds.

"Everypony okay?" she asked.

"No," Applejack answered groggily.

"I _have_ been better," Rarity spoke up then noticed her surroundings. "A _lot_ better."

"Me too," Rainbow Dash muttered from her place on the floor. "I can't believe I let her get the drop on me!"

"Oh yeah, who'd ever imagine the _great_ Rainbow Dash had an ego somepony could exploit," Crimson Streak taunted from her place near the thrown.

"Yeah? Well let me outta these things and we'll see how you do in a _fair_ fight!"

"Sorry, unlike _you_ I'm not dumb enough to fall for that."

"Enough," Nightmare Moon said as she got up from the throne and walked towards the captive ponies, paying particular attention to Twilight. "I assure you all your friends are fine. For now. But of course soon they won't be and neither will the rest of Equestria. Not now that _I_ possess all six Elements of Harmony," she gloated, holding the Elements up for emphasis.

"Five," Twilight said flatly.

"Huh?"

"You only have five Elements," she clarified with a small smirk.

Nightmare Moon frowned then glared over at Treasure Hunt.

"Give it," she ordered.

"But it's so shiny!" the Earth pony protested.

"Give. It," she repeated more menacingly.

Treasure Hunt sighed then pulled the Element of Generosity necklace out of her saddlebag where it was immediately snatched up by Nightmare Moon's magic field and added to her collection.

"There. _Now_ I have all of them! Thank you for pointing that out my dear," she said, returning Twilight's earlier smug smirk.

"Nice going Twilight," Rainbow Dash muttered.

"Hey I don't see _you_ coming up with any ideas right now!" Twilight snapped.

"Girls please! We shouldn't be fightin' each other!" Applejack spoke up.

"She's right, we should be together in this," Fluttershy agreed softly.

"Oh please don't stop on my account. I'm finding this _very_ entertaining," Nightmare Moon gloated then turned to her own Elements. "Aren't you girls?"

"Yeah! They're funny!" Treasure Hunt beamed.

"I'm enjoying it," Crimson Streak agreed.

"Oh it's _so_ much fun," Dark Sky gloated.

"I'd prefer if they were fighting to the death," Stampede suggested.

"And if they had better lights. Which, of course, the Great and Powerful Trixie could provide!" the pompous unicorn declared. "Though it _still_ wouldn't be nearly as good as one of _my_ shows!"

"I don't care," Heartless said flatly.

"I'm kinda with her," Sledge agreed. "I'm more concerned about when we get paid for this."

"You'll get your money when _I _say you will!" Nightmare Moon snapped at him.

"For the record, _I'm _enjoying the show!" Hammer said eagerly.

"Suck up," Sledge teased.

"Well _I'm_ not enjoying it!" Rainbow Dash shouted in annoyance. "If you're gonna do something to us then just _do it already_! Unless your plan it to bore us to death."

"Um...Rainbow. I-I really don't think you should be taunting the Mare in the Moon," Fluttershy suggested.

"Or giving her ideas!" Pinkie added. "Being bored to death sounds so..._boring_! It's just the kind of terrible thing a creepy mare like her would do!"

"Oh I have a _much_ more delightful punishment in mind for you than that," Nightmare Moon chuckled.

"What? Are you going to banish us to the moon or something?" Twilight snarked.

"Honestly I _had_ thought of that at first but it seemed too...on the nose, I suppose you could say," she replied with a gentle tap of her nose. "Instead I want something to punish both you and of course my sweet sister."

It was then that Dark Sky used her magic to pull Celestia out from behind the throne to reveal she was also bound in the same magical chains that held Twilight and her friends at bay.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight called out and frantically struggled against her bounds. Once she realized it was useless she looked at her mentor in shame. "I'm sorry. I failed you."

"No Twilight," Celestia reassured her. "It is _I_ who failed _you_. If I had told you about all this sooner perhaps we could have made the proper preparations."

"Awwww aren't they so precious?" Nightmare Moon mocked, holding her two front hooves up to her cheeks. She then lowered her hooves and scowled at them. "Please. If it gets any sweeter in here I may get a stomach ache."

"You know I always hear ponies say that but _I_ get tons of sugar and I _never_ have a stomach ache!" Pinkie happily informed.

"I don't care," Nightmare Moon growled. "Now as I was saying, I'm not going to banish you to the moon. Instead I'm going to keep you in a place where you'll all be able to constantly remind Celestia of her greatest failure."

"I'm reminded of my greatest failure every time I look at you Nightmare," Celestia said sorrowfully.

The dark mare rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue in disgust.

"Ugh. And they've claimed _I'm_ melodramatic!" she snorted.

"So what _are_ ya gonna do with us then?" Applejack asked, curiosity finally getting the better of her.

"I'm going to do to you what the original Element bearers did to my dear friend Dark Sky," she revealed, casting an apologetic glance at the unicorn. "Then I'm going to place you all in the garden to spruce it up a bit. I think we could use a few more statues out there, don't you Celestia?"

"You're going to turn them to _stone_?!" Trixie cried out in disbelief.

Nightmare Moon and the rest of the discordant ponies stared at her.

"What did you _think_ I was going to do with them?" she asked.

"I...I don't know. I thought you'd just throw them in the dungeon or banish them or something!" the blue unicorn explained.

"Do you have a problem with this method?"

"Yeah? _Do_ you?" Dark Sky pressed and took a step closer to her.

Trixie looked around at the glaring expressions turned her way and shrank back a bit, pulling her hat down over her eyes slightly.

"No. No not at all!" she quickly covered herself. "It's...it's what they deserve right?!"

"I'd say it's what _all_ traitors deserve," Crimson Streak teased. "Right Sky?"

"_You_ don't get to call me that!" Dark Sky growled at her as she gave her a rough poke in the shoulder.

"ENOUGH!" Nightmare Moon screamed at the top of her lungs. "I swear it's like trying to heard cats! You six. Over here. NOW!"

Not being the one foolish enough to disobey the Mare in the Moon, the six ponies raced over to her and quickly formed a circle around her. She then released the Elements of Harmony in favor of spreading out a field around her disciples that caused them all to glow. They then raised into the air in their circle formation with Nightmare Moon floating perfectly in the middle of it in a formation eerily similar to the one Twilight and her friends took when they used the Elements of Harmony against her. And just like before there was a build up of power before a monochrome colored rainbow shot out and headed straight for them. The power was enough to disrupt their bonds but it was only a split second before the beam hit them.

The room went completely black for a moment and when it passed, those left standing where either delighted or horrified at the sight before them; Twilight and her friends completely encased in stone. It looked as if they had _tried_ to move before the beam hit them but they were obviously not successful. Twilight was in a half standing position and looked like she was trying to use her magic to get something, most likely the Elements of Harmony. Rainbow Dash had her wings half unfurled in an effort to fly away. Fluttershy had just curled herself into a ball with a wing covering her face. Applejack and Rarity seemed to merge into one statue as it looked like Applejack tried to push Rarity out of the way. Pinkie Pie...seemed awfully chipper for what was about to happen to her.

When they landed, Nightmare Moon and the Elements of Discord ponies wobbled a bit unsteadily from slight exhaustion but Nightmare Moon still had the strength to smile in victory and make her way over to her captive sister.

"There. Now don't those look _far_ better than those dusty old statues you have out there now?" she gloated with a chuckle.

Celestia gave no response. Instead she just lowered her head and closed her eyes. Not only had she failed her sister _and_ Twilight but all of Equestria. A tear ran down her cheek at the thought of the dark days that lay ahead.

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Notes: **Yes I'm finally back again! Although this time the lateness of the chapter wasn't _totally_ my fault. See my laptop decided to crap out on me at the end of July and I had one of my roommate's friends look at it but it ended up being a bigger problem than we thought and so took a month to get fixed. Still having some problems with it but at least I'm able to write again and so I refocused on getting this chapter done! So in a weird way, the month off was just what I needed to rekindle my passion for writing and this fic.

Hopefully the chapter has been worth the wait but it's not the most happy chapter, is it? I guess you could call this the "Empire Strikes Back" section of the story where things aren't look very good for our heroes. Especially not here given that the Mane 6 are all trapped in stone, Princess Celestia is helpless to do anything and Equestria is slowly being covered by a dark cloud. Yep, certainly not the best time for our little ponies, is it?

Which will be made especially clear when we time jump a few weeks in the next chapter to see the effect of Nightmare Moon's rule on the kingdom. So we'll finally get past the first day! Yep! These past three and a half years have only been one day! Yeeaaaah...this fic did get away from me a bit. Still nothing to go but press on until the end! Just like all the ponies of Equestria will have to do now!

See ya then!


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